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STEPHEN  B.  WEEKS 

CLASS  OF  1886:  PH.D.  THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY 

OBMRY 

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UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


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FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 


THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


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JULIA    JACKSON 
CHRISTIAN 


By  h£r  Mother 
Mary  Anna  Jackson 


PUBLISHERS 

STONE  &  BARRINGER  COMPANY 

CHARLOTTE.  N.  C. 


Copyright,   1910,  by 
M.  A.   JACKSON 


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To  the  children,  who  missed  by  their  young  mother's  early 

death  the  joy  of  her  companionship  and  the  blessing 

of  her  daily  care,  this  brief  memorial  is  dedicated 

-Jay  they  follow  her  Guide,  animated  by  her  courage  and 
faith  and  love,  into  the  Land  of  the  Living 


Foreword 


This  little  memorial  is  published  simplj^  for  the  sake  of 
my  grandchildren,  who,  having  grown  to  maturity,  can  ap- 
preciate the  rich  heritage  that  is  left  to  them  in  the  life 
and  character  of  their  sainted  mother. 

The  granddaughter  is  happily  married  to  a  young  law- 
yer, Edmund  Randolph  Preston,  a  native  of  Virginia,  but 
now  an  adopted  son  of  North  Carolina,  and  the  old  grand- 
mother (now  a  great-granddame),  has  a  lovely  home  with 
them,  and  the  little  Anna  Jackson  Preston  is  the  light  and 
joy  of  the  household. 

The  grandson  is  following  the  profession  of  his  grand- 
father, expecting  to  graduate  at  West  Point  next  year,  and 
it  goes  without  saying  that  the  brightest  hopes  are  enter- 
tained for  him  by  his  family  and  friends. 

M.  A.  J. 

Charlotte,  N.  C,  October,  1910. 


Julia  Jackson  Christian 


The  only  child  of  General  "Stonewall"  Jackson  that 
survived  infancy  was  born  on  the  23rd  of  November, 
1862,  in  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  at  the  residence  of 
her  maternal  aimt,  Mrs.  James  P.  Irwin.  As  her  birth 
occurred  during  the  war  when  her  father  was  engaged  in 
the  service  of  his  country,  the  home  of  her  parents  in 
Lexington,  Virginia,  was  closed,  while  her  mother  spent 
those  eventful  years  among  her  kindred  in  North  Caro- 
lina. From  her  very  birth,  she  was  so  extremely  like 
her  father,  that  when  she  was  placed  in  my  arms  for 
my  first  look  at  her,  my  heart  was  thrilled  with  delight 
and  thankfulness  at  seeing  every  feature  of  his  repro- 
duced in  her  tiny  face.  This  likeness  grew  with  her 
growth,  and  was  often  remarked  upon  by  his  old  soldiers 
— sometimes  causing  tears  to  spring  into  tlieir  eyes  as 
they  saw  the  resemblance  in  his  child  to  their  beloved 
commander. 

General  Jackson's  own  letters  have  testified  to  the 
joyous  welcome  he  gave  his  child  into  the  world,  and  the 
bright  hopes  which  her  advent  awakened  in  his  parental 
heart.  It  gladdened  him  more  than  all  his  victories, 
and  filled  him  with  devout  gratitude  to  the  Giver  of  all 
good. 

To  a  man  of  his  extreme  domesticity  and  love  of  chil- 


2  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

dren,  this  was  a  crowning  happiness;  and  yet  with  his 
great  modesty  and  shrinking  from  publicity,  he  kept  the 
arrival  of  the  little  lady  all  to  himself,  leaving  his  staff 
and  those  around  him  in  camp  to  hear  it  through  others. 
To  him  this  was  a  "joy  with  which  a  stranger  could  not 
intermeddle,"  and  from  which  his  own  hand  could  not 
lift  the  veil  of  sanctity.  The  first  intimation  of  his 
new  happiness  was  a  letter  from  his  little  daughter  her- 
self! The  amanuensis  was  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Irwin,  at 
whose  house  she  first  saw  the  light,  and  this  was  the 
letter : 

"My  own  dear  Father  : 

As  my  mother's  letter  has  been  cut  short  by  my 
arrival,  I  think  it  but  justice  that  I  should  continue  it. 
I  know  that  you  are  rejoiced  to  hear  of  my  coming,  and 
I  hope  that  God  has  sent  me  to  radiate  your  pathway 
through  life.  I  am  a  very  tiny  little  thing.  I  weigh 
only  eight  and  a  half  pounds,  and  Aunt  Harriet  says  I 
am  the  express  image  of  my  darling  papa,  and  so  does 
our  kind  friend,  Mrs.  Osborne,  and  this  greatly  delights 
my  mother.  My  aunts  both  say  I  am  a  little  beauty. 
My  hair  is  dark  and  long,  my  eyes  are  blue,  my  nose 
straight,  just  like  my  papa's,  and  my  complexion  not  all 
red  like  most  young  ladies  of  my  age,  but  a  beautiful 
blending  of  the  lily  and  the  rose,  Now,  all  this  would 
sound  very  vain  if  I  were  older  but,  I  assure  you,  I  have 
not  a  particle  of  feminine  vanity,  my  only  desire  in 
life  being  to  nestle  in  close  to  my  mamma,  to  feel  her 
caressing  touch,  and  to  drink  in  the  pearly  stream 
provided  by  a  kind  Providence  for  my  support.  My 
mother  is  very  comfortable  this  morning.     She  is  anx- 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  3 

ious  to  have  my  name  decided  upon,  and  hopes  you  will 
write  and  give  me  a  name,  with  your  blessing.  We 
look  for  my  grandmother  to-morrow,  and  expect  before 
long  a  visit  from  my  little  cousin,  Mary  Graham  Avery, 
who  is  one  month  my  senior.  I  was  born  on  Sunday, 
just  after  the  morning  services  at  church,  but  I  believe 
my  aunt  wrote  you  all  about  the  first  day  of  my  life, 
and  this  being  only  the  second,  my  history  may  be  com- 
prised in  a  little  space.  But  my  friends,  w^ho  are  about 
me  like  guardian  angels,  hope  for  me  a  long  life  of 
happiness  and  holiness  and  a  futurity  of  endless  bliss. 
Your  dear  little  wee  Daughter." 

These  lovely  little  missives  continued  to  reach  the 
father  until  the  mother  was  able  once  more  to  resume 
her  pen,  but  only  this  one  was  ever  recovered.  In  the 
meantime  he  writes  on  the  4th  of  December : 

"Oh !  how  thankful  I  am  to  our  kind  Heavenly  Father 
for  having  spared  my  precious  wife  and  given  us  a 
little  daughter.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  gratified  I  am, 
nor  how  much  I  wish  I  could  be  with  you  and  see  my 
two  darlings.  But  while  this  pleasure  is  denied  me, 
I  am  thankful  it  is  accorded  to  you  to  have  the  little 
pet,  and  I  hope  it  may  be  a  great  deal  of  comfort  and 
company  to  its  mother.  Now,  don't  exert  yourself  to 
write  to  me,  for  to  know  that  you  were  taxing  yourself 
to  write  would  give  me  more  pain  than  pleasure,  so  you 
must  not  do  it. 

"I  expect  you  are  just  made  up  now  with  that  baby, 
and  regard  it  as  the  most  precious  treasure  in  the  world, 
but  you  must  not  spoil  it.    How  I  would  love  to  see  the 


4  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

darling  little  thing!     Give  her  many  kisses  for  her 
father." 

In  response  to  his  bahy  daughter's  first  letter,  he 
closes  by  saying,  "Thank  sister  H.  very  kindly,  and  give 
the  baby  daughter  a  shower  of  kisses  from  her  father 
and  tell  her  he  loves  her  better  than  all  the  baby  boys 
in  the  world,  and  more  than  all  the  other  babies  in  the 
world.'' 

This  was  to  reassure  his  wife,  who  feared  he  would 
be  disappointed  at  not  having  a  boy.  He  desired  a  son, 
believing  that  men  had  a  larger  sphere  of  usefulness 
then  women;  but  his  own  will  was  so  entirely  in  subjec- 
tion to  that  of  his  Heavenly  Father  that  he  said  he  pre- 
feiTed  having  a  daughter,  since  God  had  so  ordained  it. 

He  gave  her  the  name  of  Julia  for  his  mother,  saying, 
"My  mother  was  mindful  of  me  when  I  was  a  helpless, 
fatherless  child,  and  I  wish  to  commemorate  her  now.'^ 
His  recollections  of  his  mother  were  of  the  sweetest 
and  tenderest  character,  and  to  his  childhood's  fancy, 
she  was  the  embodiment  of  beauty,  grace  and  loveliness. 

He  wrote,  "This  morning  I  received  a  charming  letter 
from  my  little  daughter,  Julia,''  but  immediately,  as  if 
his  heart  trembled  at  the  very  thought  of  so  much  happi- 
ness, he  adds:  "Do  not  set  your  heart  upon  her,  except 
as  a  gift  from  God.  If  she  absorbs  too  much  of  our 
hearts,  God  may  remove  her  from  us." 

Again  he  writes :  "Baby's  letters  are  read  with  much 
interest,  and  it  does  her  father's  heart  good  to  read 
them.  Yesterday  I  received  her  letter  with  its  beautiful 
lock  of  hair.  How  I  do  want  to  see  that  precious  baby ! 
and  I  do  earnestly  pray  for  peace.      I  haven't  seen  my 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  5 

wife  since  last  March,  and  never  having  seen  my  darling 
baby,  you  can  imagine  with  how  nuieh  interest  I  look- 
to  North  Carolina." 

General  Jackson  never  took  ^  furlough  during  the 
war  and  never  slept  outside  of  his  camp  in  all  that 
time,  and  as  the  greater  part  of  his  strenuous  army  life 
was  spent  in  the  saddle,  my  opportunities  of  visiting  him 
were  very  limited,  and  as  our  baby  was  rather  delicate 
the  first  three  months  of  her  life,  he  was  afraid  for  me 
to  travel  with  her  in  the  winter,  and  especially  as  there 
were  contagious  diseases  in  his  camp;  but  by  Spring  she 
had  developed  into  as  plump,  rosy  and  fair  a  little  bud 
of  humanity  as  one  often  sees,  and  he  grew  more  impa- 
tient for  a  visit  from  us. 

In  explanation  of  his  long  separation  from  his  family, 
he  wrote:  "It  appears  to  me  to  be  better  for  me  to 
remain  with  my  command  as  long  as  the  war  continues, 
if  our  gracious  Heavenly  Father  permits.  The  army 
suffers  immensely  by  absentees.  If  all  our  troops, 
officers  and  men  were  at  their  posts,  we  might,  through 
God's  blessing,  expect  a  more  speedy  termination  of  the 
war.  Whilst  it  would  be  a  great  joy  and  comfort  to  see 
you  and  our  darling  little  daughter,  yet  duty  appears  to 
require  me  to  remain  with  my  command.  It  is  im- 
portant that  those  at  headquarters  set  an  example  by 
remaining  at  the  post  of  duty." 

Little  Julia  was  over  four  months  old  before  her  father 
ever  saw  her.  He  was  then  in  camp  near  Guiney's 
Station,  and  wrote  urging  me  to  come  on  and  visit  him 
before  the  campaign  would  open,  so,  with  my  baby  and 
colored  nurse,  Hetty,  we  set  out  upon  this  visit,  so  full 
of  interest  and  anticipated  Joys.    We  made  the  journey 


6  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

safely,  stopping  in  Eichmond  to  spend  Sunday,  and 
arriving  at  Guiney's  on  Monday,  the  20th  of  April. 
Hetty  and  I  were  all  anxiety  to  have  our  baby  present 
her  best  appearance  for  her  father's  first  sight  of  her, 
and  she  could  not  have  better  realized  our  wishes.  She 
awoke  from  a  long,  refreshing  sleep  Just  before  the 
train  stopped,  and  she  never  looked  more  bright  and 
charming.  When  he  entered  the  coach  to  receive  us, 
his  rubber  overcoat  was  dripping  from  the  rain  which 
was  falling,  but  his  face  was  all  sunshine  and  gladness, 
and  after  greeting  his  wife,  it  was  a  picture  indeed  to 
see  his  look  of  perfect  delight  and  admiration  as  his 
eyes  fell  upon  that  baby !  She  was  at  the  lovely,  smiling 
age,  and,  catching  his  eager  look  of  supreme  interest 
in  her,  she  beamed  her  sweetest  and  brightest  smiles 
upon  him  in  return,  so  it  seemed  to  be  a  mutual  fascina- 
tion. He  was  afraid  to  take  her  in  his  arms,  with  his 
wet  overcoat;  but  as  we  drove  in  a  carriage  to  Mr. 
Yerby's  (where  he  had  engaged  board  for  us),  his  face 
reflected  all  the  delight  and  happiness  that  were  in  his 
heart,  and  he  expressed  much  surprise  and  gratification 
at  her  size  and  beauty.  Upon  our  arrival  at  the  house 
he  speedily  divested  himself  of  his  overcoat,  and,  taking 
his  baby  in  his  arms,  he  caressed  her  with  the  tenderest 
affection,  and  held  her  long  and  lovingly.  During  the 
whole  of  this  short  visit,  when  he  was  with  us,  he  rarely 
had  her  out  of  his  arms,  walking  her,  and  amusing  her 
in  every  way  he  could  think  of — sometimes  holding  her 
up  before  a  mirror  and  saying:  "Now,  Miss  Jackson, 
look  at  yourself !"  Then  he  would  turn  to  an  old  lady 
of  the  family  and  say:  "Isn't  she  a  little  gem?'^  He 
was  frequently  told  that  she  resembled  him,  but  he 


JULIA  JACK80N  CHRISTIAN  7 

would  say:  "No,  she  is  too  pretty  to  look  like  me.'^ 
When  she  slept  in  the  day,  he  would  often  kneel  over 
her  cradle,  and  gaze  upon  her  little  face  with  the  most 
rapt  admiration,  and  he  said  he  felt  almost  as  if  she 
were  an  angel,  in  her  innocence  and  purity.  I  have  often 
wished  that  the  picture  which  was  presented  to  me  of 
that  father  kneeling  over  the  cradle  of  that  lovely  infant 
could  have  been  put  upon  canvas.  And  yet  with  all 
his  fondness  and  devotion  to  the  little  lady,  he  had  no 
idea  of  spoiling  her,  as  will  be  seen  in  his  undertaking 
to  teach  her  a  lesson  in  self-control  before  she  was  five 
months  old!  One  day  she  began  to  cry  to  be  taken  up 
from  the  bed  on  which  she  was  lying,  and  as  soon  as 
her  wish  was  gratified,  she  ceased  to  cry.  He  laid  her 
back  upon  the  bed,  and  the  crying  was  renewed  with 
increased  vigor.  Of  course,  the  mother-heart  wished  to 
stop  this  by  taking  her  up  again,  but  he  exclaimed: 
^^This  will  never  do,"  and  commanded  "all  hands  off," 
until  that  little  will  of  hers  should  be  conquered.  So 
there  she  lay,  kicking  and  screaming,  while  he  stood 
over  her  with  as  much  coolness  and  determination  as 
if  he  were  directing  a  battle;  and  he  was  true  to  the 
name  of  "Stonewall,"  even  in  disciplining  a  baby! 
When  she  stopped  crying  he  would  take  her  up,  but  if 
she  began  to  cry  again,  he  would  lay  her  back,  and  this 
he  kept  up  until  finally  she  was  completely  conquered, 
and  became  perfectly  quiet  in  his  hands. 

On  the  23rd  of  April,  the  day  she  was  five  months  old. 
General  Jackson  had  little  Julia  baptized.  He  brought 
his  chaplain,  Eev.  Dr.  B.  T.  Lacy,  to  Mr.  Yerby's,  in 
whose  parlor  the  sacred  rite  was  performed,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  family,  and  a  number  of  his  staff  officers. 


8  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

The  child  behaved  beautifully,  and  was  the  object  of 
great  interest  to  her  father's  friends  and  soldiers.  One 
of  his  aides,  Mr.  Smith  (afterwards  the  Eev.  Dr.  James 
P.),  tells  how  he  came  to  be  present  at  the  baptism.  He 
says :  "I  recall  the  visit  to  Mr.  Yerby's  to  see  the  baptism 
of  little  Julia.  I  asked  the  General  if  I  could  go  and  he 
said,  ^Certainly,  Mr.  Smith,  you  can  go;  ask  the  others 
to  go  with  you,^  so  I  turned  out  the  whole  party,  making 
quite  a  cavalcade  to  ride  to  Mr.  Yerb}^'s.  I  remember 
the  General's  impatience  at  some  little  delay,  and  the 
decided  way  with  which  he  went  out  and  brought  in  the 
child  in  his  arms.'^ 

The  last  connection  with  little  Julia  and  her  father 
was  her  appearance  at  his  death-bed  scene.  My  friend, 
Mrs.  (Dr.)  Moses  D.  Hoge,  of  Eichmond,  had  most  kindly 
come  to  my  assistance  in  the  time  of  my  agonizing  trial, 
and  was  taking  care  of  my  baby  while  I  was  watching 
in  the  sick  room.  She,  with  Hetty  following,  brought 
the  child  into  the  room,  when  he  had  almost  ceased  to 
notice  anything,  but  as  soon  as  they  entered  the  door, 
his  countenance  brightened  with  delight,  and  he  never 
smiled  more  sweetly  as  he  exclaimed:  "Little  darling, 
sweet  one  !'^  She  was  seated  on  the  bed  beside  him,  and 
after  watching  her  intently  with  radiant  smiles,  he 
closed  his  eyes  as  if  in  prayer.  Though  she  was  suffer- 
ing the  pangs  of  hunger  from  long  absence  from  her 
mother,  she  seemed  to  forget  her  discomfort  in  the  joy  of 
seeing  that  loving  face  beam  on  her  once  more,  and  she 
looked  at  him  and  smiled  as  long  as  he  continued  to 
notice  her. — Without  doubt,  the  father  and  child  were 
reunited,   never  more  to  part,   when  she   herself   was 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  9 

translated  in  the  bloom  of  her  early  womanhood,  to  "tlie 
mansions  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens. '^ 
My  good  father  had  sent  me  as  a  nurse  for  my  child, 
the  same  woman,  Hetty,  who  had  nursed  me  in  infancy, 
and  consequently  there  was  an  attachment  between  us. 
She  was  energetic,  impulsive  and  strong-minded,  with 
some  fine  traits,  and  was  trustworthy  and  faithful  to 
her  charge.  She  was  somewhat  inclined  to  self-asser- 
tion, particularly  as  she  felt  her  importance  in  being  so 
much  the  senior  of  her  new  master  and  mistress,  but 
she  soon  learned  from  "the  spirit  that  commanded  his 
household  after  him,"  that  her  only  course  must  be 
that  of  implicit  obedience.  After  learning  this  lesson  she 
toned  down  into  a  well-mannered,  useful  domestic,  and 
indeed  she  became  a  factotum  in  the  family.  She  was 
sent  from  North  Carolina  to  Virginia  alone,  and,  being 
totally  unaccustomed  to  traveling,  when  she  arrived  at 
Richmond  and  was  trying  to  find  her  train  to  Lexington, 
some  one  who  saw  her  anxiety  asked  her  where  she 
wanted  to  go  ?  Her  discouraged  reply  was :  "Well,  Fm 
going  to  Virginia,  but  the  Lord  knows  whether  I'll  ever 
get  there  or  not!"  Amid  all  her  difficulties  she  was 
keeping  a  close  eye  upon  a  little  old  hair-trunk  that 
contained  her  possessions,  and  when  she  discovered  a 
porter  taking  it  up  to  transfer  it,  she  peremptorily  ex- 
claimed: "Put  down  that  trunk!  That's  General 
Jackson's  trunk  V^  She  had  astuteness  enough  to  know 
that  there  was  power  in  a  name,  and  to  assert  herself 
in  protecting  her  own  rights.  She  became  devoted  to 
her  master,  and  was  a  sincere  mourner  over  his  death, 
shedding  tears  freely,  and  she  said  she  had  lost  her  best 
friend.    I  would  gladly  have  kept  and  supported  her  for 


10  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

the  rest  of  her  life,  hut  she  was  allured  by  her  freedom 
to  seek  greater  independence  and  gain,  severing  a  tie 
which  had  been  one  (seemingly,  at  least)  of  mutual 
attachment  and  confidence.  She  only  acted  as  did  the 
majority  of  the  freedmen,  who  could  not  feel  that  they 
were  free  until  they  had  left  their  former  masters. 
The  sturdy  old  woman  lived  to  be  over  ninety  years  of 
age,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  prayers  and  example  of  her 
master  proved  a  benediction  to  her  during  all  the 
remaining  years  of  her  life.  He  required  every  one  of 
his  servants  to  attend  family  worship,  punctually  and 
regularly. 

Little  Julia  was  about  three  years  old  before  I  ever 
had  the  heart  or  means  to  take  any  trip  from  my 
father's  home,  but  kind  friends  provided  a  way  for  me 
to  visit  Lexington — ^my  beloved,  married  home — and  in 
making  a  brief  stay  in  Eichmond,  a  newspaper  notice  of 
the  child  appeared,  which  was  as  follows : 

^^A  fair  correspondent  sends  us  the  following  delicate 
pen  and  ink  portrait  of  the  only  living  scion  of  the  late 
General  T.  J.  Jackson.  She  is  evidently  in  love  with 
her  subject. 

^^I  had  recently  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  child  of 
'Stonewall'  Jackson.  She  is  a  bright  little  cherub,  about 
three  years  old,  with  fair  hair,  blue  eyes,  and  a  com- 
plexion of  mingled  lilies  and  roses — the  lilies,  however, 
predominating,  as  she  does  not  look  very  robust.  For 
the  benefit  of  curious  mothers,  I  will  describe  her  dress. 
She  wore  a  Marie  Louise  blue  merino,  trimmed  with 
narrow  black  velvet  ribbon,  edged  with  white.  Her 
little  cloth  cloak  was  of  a  light  drab  color,  ornamented 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  H 

with  bands  of  silk  and  fancy  bnttons.  Her  hat  was  of 
English  straw,  trimmed  with  blue  velvet  and  white 
feathers.  A  tippet  and  mnff  of  ermine  completed  the 
costume  of  the  little  fairy,  and  she  looked  as  enchant- 
ing as  any  mother's  darling  need  look.  She  was  borne 
in  the  arms  of  a  colored  nurse,  of  whom  she  seemed  very 
fond,  and  to  whom  she  was  prattling  with  exuberant 
gayety.  The  dark-eyed,  sad-looking  lady  who  followed 
her,  in  widow's  cap,  and  garb  of  deepest  mourning, 
completed  the  picture  of  sunshine  and  shadow." 

The  editor  adds:  "The  daughter  of  ^Stonewall'  Jack- 
son !  May  she  long  live  to  perpetuate  to  future  genera- 
tions the  lineal  blood  of  her  immortal  father !'' 

The  first  ten  years  of  Julia's  life  were  spent  in  the 
home  of  her  grandfather,  the  Eev.  Dr.  R.  H.  Morrison,  in 
Lincoln  County,  North  Carolina.  Here  she  was  the  only 
child  in  the  family,  the  pet  of  the  household,  and  her 
childhood's  life  was  one  of  great  innocence  and  simplic- 
ity. She  had  no  playmates,  except  when  little  visitors 
came,  which  always  gave  her  great  delight,  but  she  was 
happy  in  amusing  herself  in  her  own  solitary,  childish 
ways — making  play-houses  under  the  great  oak  trees,  and 
planting  and  tending  her  little  garden,  as  she  saw  her 
mother  do  hers.  She  cultivated  pop-corn,  peanuts, 
vegetables  and  flowers,  and  once  proposed  planting 
candy  in  her  garden,  thinking  it  would  yield  her  a  rich 
return  of  sweets.  She  had  many  beautiful  dolls,  each 
one  having  its  own  name,  and  she  loved  them  as  if  they 
were  really  human.  Among  them  was  a  perfect  Con- 
federate soldier,  with  his  miniature  canteen,  tobacco 
bag,  and  every  equipment  for  the  service  in  war.     He 


12  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

was  "Jolinny  Eeb,"  and  was  a  present  to  her,  as  were 
all  of  her  handsomest  dolls.  She  was  devoted  to  pets, 
and  had  her  terrier  dog,  Bess,  her  kittens,  chickens  and 
canary  birds — ^the  latter  all  coming  to  grief,  however, 
from  the  cruel  ravages  of  the  cats.  In  her  garden  were 
several  little  graves  of  her  birds,  over  which  she  had 
shed  many  tears.  Her  grandfather  gave  her  a  pure 
white  calf,  which  she  named  "Snowdrop,"  and  after  it 
came  into  service  as  a  milch-cow,  if  she  ever  saw  a 
servant  strike,  or  maltreat  her  pet,  it  aroused  her  in- 
dignation and  caused  her  genuine  distress.  But  the 
supreme  object  of  her  affection  in  the  barnyard  was 
her  father's  war-horse,  "Little  Sorrel,'^  or  "Fancy,''  as 
he  was  called  on  the  farm.  She  delighted  in  petting  him, 
and  nothing  pleased  her  more  than  to  have  a  ride  upon 
his  back,  to  which  she  began  to  be  treated  at  quite  an 
early  age.  She  was  extremely  fond  of  horse-back  riding, 
and  became  a  fearless  and  gi-aceful  rider  as  she  grew 
to  womanhood.  She  then  had  her  own  horse,  "Kex,"  but 
he  never  occupied  the  place  in  her  heart  which  old 
Fancy  possessed.  Her  birthdays  in  childhood  were 
always  celebrated  by  little  entertainments.  She  had 
lovely  little  sets  of  china,  and  the  daintiest  of  little 
viands  were  served  at  her  small  table,  over  which  she 
presided  with  all  the  dignity  and  importance  of  matured 
3'ears.  If  there  were  no  children  present,  her  young  aunt, 
uncle  and  mother  were  the  guests,  and  on  one  occasion, 
when  it  was  proposed  that  one  of  the  grown  persons 
should  preside  at  the  head  of  the  table,  she  replied 
decidedly :  "No,  I  will  provide.^^  She  had  a  very  pretty 
little  Ute-d-iete  set  in  silver  presented  to  her  by  the 
Stonewall  Fire  Company,  of  Chester,  South  Carolina, 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  I3 

which  was  quite  ornamental  as  well  as  useful  to  her 
juvenile  table,  and  which  afterwards  rendered  valuable 
service  when  she  was  a  grown-up  housekeeper. 

Her  disposition  as  a  child  was  singularly  affectionate, 
sympathetic  and  clinging;  her  feelings  were  quickly 
touched,  and  her  sensibility  was  so  extreme  as  to  give 
her  great  capacity  for  suffering,  but  as  she  approached 
maturit}^,  she  developed  the  same  pride  of  character, 
strength  of  will,  self-control  and  fortitude  that  were  so 
conspicuous  in  her  father. 

When  she  was  a  little  thing,  during  my  visits  to  Lex- 
ington, if  she  ever  saw  me  manifest  any  emotion  over 
the  memories  of  her  father,  she  wept  bitterly  herself, 
so  that  to  spare  her  feelings,  I  once  slipped  off  from  her 
to  visit  the  cemetery.    When  I  arose  from  my  devotions 
at  her  father's  grave,  what  was  my  surprise,  and  how  my 
heart  was  touched,  to  see  my  poor  little  darling  standing 
at  some  distance  watching  me  with  a  face  of  convulsed 
grief.    She  surmised  where  I  had  gone,  and  followed  me 
alone,     mien  she  was  several  years  older,  we  were  at 
the  Hot  Springs,  of  :N-orth  Carolina,  one  summer,  and  I 
was  mvited  to  take  a  row  in  a  small  bateau  upon  the 
French    Broad    Eiver.      When    our   frail    bark   finally 
reached   its  landing  place,   there   stood  anxious  little 
Julia,  accompanied  by  a  child-friend,  watching  eacrerly 
for  my  safe  return.     She  could  have  no  peace  of  mind 
during  what  she  apprehended  was  a  perilous  expedition 
for  her  mother.    Many  similar  touching  incidents  of  her 
intense  filial  love  and  solicitude  could  be  related.    Possi- 
bly the  love  that  belongs  to  both  parents  was  concen- 
trated in  her  warm  little  heart.     When  we  were  from 
home  visiting  friends,  she  would  go  out  and  play  very 


14  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

happily  with  the  children^,  but  every  now  and  then  she 
would  return  to  the  parlor  door  and  peep  in  to  satisfy 
herself  that  her  mother  was  there.  As  she  grew  older, 
her  devotion  assumed  a  protecting  care  that  was  as 
sweet  as  it  was  remarkable,  and  she  could  never  bear 
to  see  her  one  parent  made  the  subject  of  a  joke  or 
criticism  by  any  one. 

In  early  childhood,  she  could  never  hear  a  touching 
story  read  without  tears,  and  would  beg  that  the  reading 
should  be  discontinued  as  soon  as  the  pathos  became  too 
much  for  her,  saying:  "It's  too  sad;  I  don't  want  to 
hear  any  more."  She  was  a  pensive  looking  child,  but 
was  never  morbid  or  unhappy,  and  was  very  responsive 
to  playfulness  and  sociability.  She  w^as  extremely  active, 
and  rode  stick-horses  after  she  commenced  the  study 
of  a  child's  Geography.  I  was  much  amused  at  a  grand 
gallop  she  made  down  a  country  road  one  evening, 
cutting  her  horse,  and  saying:  "Get  up,  Argentine  Con- 
federation T''  She  had  named  her  horse  after  one  of 
her  most  high-sounding  geographical  acquirements.  She 
was  taught  by  a  governess  for  several  years  before  she 
left  her  grandfather's  house.  Like  her  father  in  child- 
hood, she  was  not  precocious,  but  her  mind  and  memory 
were  strong  and  retentive.  Before  she  could  read,  she 
was  instructed  verbally  in  a  child's  scriptural  catechism. 
One  of  the  questions  on  the  subject  of  original  sin  has 
an  answer  that  "by  nature  we  do  nothing  but  sin." 
This  humiliating  answer  aroused  her  indignation,  and 
with  flashing  eyes  she  protested  against  it,  saying:  "iVo, 
/  don't  do  nothing  hut  sin!  I  work — I  pick  up  chips, 
and  tend  to  my  garden,  and  I  know  I  don't  sin  all  the 
time !"     It  was  explained  to  her  that  all  persons  were 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  15 

born  with  sinful  natures,  and  we  could  do  nothing  good 
by  our  own  power,  that  God's  grace  and  spirit  alone 
kept  us  from  sin.  She  finally  accepted  the  explanation 
as  applicable  to  herself,  but  remarked  in  a  yery  positive 
and  reverent  manner:  ^'Well^  I  Tcnow  my  papa  never 
sinned  F^ 

Her  affection  and  veneration  for  his  memory  seemed 
to  be  one  of  the  earliest  sentiments  to  spring  up  in  her 
young  heart,  and  became  more  and  more  the  ruling  pas- 
sion of  her  life,  with  her  growing  years. 

When  Julia  was  about  four  years  of  age,  a  lady  who 
then  lived  in  Charlotte,  upon  receiving  a  photograph  of 
her,  placed  it  among  a  group  of  fallen  Southern  gen- 
erals, which  seemed  to  inspire  her  to  write  the  following 
verses : 

^'A  LITTLE  CHILD  SHALL  LEAD  THEM.'^ 

On  our  simple  parlor  wall. 

Where  the  softest  shadows  lie, 
And  the  golden  sunbeams  fall 

With  a  glimmer  as  they  fly. 
Four  pictured  patriots  stand. 

Who,  from  out  our  Southern  land. 
Passed  through  death's  tumultuous  river. 

To  their  recompense  and  rest. 

Foremost,  he,  whose  noble  name. 

To  the  future  will  go  down 
With  a  never  fading  fame. 

And  an  ever  glorious  crown. 


16  JVLIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

While  the  South  her  vigil  keeps, 
O'er  her  cherished  dead,  and  weeps. 

She  will  point  to  Stonewall  Jackson 
As  her  brightest  and  her  best ! 

Next,  that  servant  of  the  Lord 

Who  laid  down  his  pastoral  crook, 
And  the  consecrated  sword 

In  his  sacred  fingers  took. 
While  his  snowy  robes  remained 

With  their  purity  unstained; 
And  the  God  he  worshipped  took  him 

By  a  swift  and  glorious  death.  (Bishop  Polk.) 

Then  the  warrior  brave  and  true, 

Blamed  by  cruel  tongues  and  crost 
In  his  highest  aims,  who  threw 

For  a  mighty  stake,  and  lost — 
Broken-hearted,  passed  away 

In  the  fiercest  of  the  fray. 
When  the  Martyr  Sidney  Johnston 

Yielded  up  his  gentle  breath. 

Never  battled  knight  of  old, 

Never  form  in  kingly  guise 
Clothed  a  manlier,  merrier  soul 

Than  this  one,  which  smiling  lies, 
While  the  blue  eyes  beam  so  clear 

That  we  almost  wait  to  hear 
Stuart's  peal  of  mellow  laughter 

Like  a  rich  bell  fill  the  air  ! 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  17 

In  this  group  of  mighty  dead 

Is  a  lovely  little  child, 
With  her  sweet  lips  flushing  red 

And  her  soft  eyes  beaming  mild. 
On  her  baby  brow  appears 

Sadness  more  than  suits  her  years, 
But  it  may  be  that  the  shadow 

Of  her  father's  grave  falls  there  ! 


Calm  and  beautiful  and  wise, 

In  her  rich  yet  simple  dress, 
And  we  gaze  with  glowing  eyes 

On  her  winning  loveliness, 
Feeling  every  Southern  heart 

In  his  child  may  claim  a  part 
And  pour  out  upon  his  daughter 

All  the  love  to  him  we  bore ! 


Fairest  little  one,  'tis  best 

That  around  your  tender  feet 

This  pure  band  of  spirits  blest 
In  a  guardian  watch  should  meet. 

While  upon  your  gentle  head 

Your  great  father's  glance  is  shed. 

Which  in  life  his  features  wore. 


Oh !  much  cherished  child,  if  love 
And  most  fervent  prayers  can  bring 

Eichest  blessings  from  above 
In  your  earthly  path  to  spring. 


18  JULIA  JACK80N  CHRISTIAN 

May  you  know  God^s  perfect  peace, 
Till  your  life's  long  journey  cease, 

And  your  father's  arms  enfold  you 
On  the  ever  blissful  shore ! 

Mrs.  Fanny  Downing. 

During  Julia's  visits,  in  childhood,  to  Lexington,  she 
was  an  object  of  special  kindness  and  interest  to  Mrs. 
General  E.  E.  Lee.  The  following  letter  to  the  little 
girl,  accompanying  a  photograph  of  Mrs.  Lee,  which  she 
had  tinted  herself,  and  upon  which  she  had  inscribed  her 
autograph,  shows  the  friendship  between  them : 

"Lexington,  Va.,  March  5th,  1872. 
"You  will  think  it  strange,  my  dear  little  Julia,  if  you 
have  thought  about  it  at  all,  why  I  have  delayed  send- 
ing you  the  picture  I  promised  you,  but  if  you  knew 
how  sick  and  helpless  I  have  been  all  the  winter,  and 
am  even  now,  you  would  be  surprised  that  I  could  use 
either  my  pen  or  pencil.  I  hope  you  have  not  had  such 
weather  as  we  have  endured  here — nothing  but  ice, 
sleet  and  snow — and  even  now,  we  have  the  deepest 
snow  we  have  had  all  winter.  The  students  have  in- 
dulged much  in  skating  and  snow-balling,  and  a  great 
many  little  girls,  much  smaller  than  yourself,  would  be 
hours  on  the  ice — the  weather,  too,  being  intensely  cold 
all  the  time.  Several  of  the  little  girls  have  had  parties, 
which  I  am  sure  you  would  have  enjoyed,  had  you  been 
here,  and,  altogether,  they  have  had  a  gay  winter,  but 
it  has  been  a  very  sad  one  to  me.  I  do  not  think  I  ever 
spent  so  sad  a  Christmas,  for,  besides  my  own  suffering, 
then,  my  little  granddaughter  died.  You  did  not  see  her, 
I  think,  or  you  never  would  have  forgotten  her  beautiful 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  19 

face,  and  she  was  as  good  as  she  was  beautiful.  But  now 
she  is  one  of  the  brightest  cherubs  around  the  throne  of 
God,  and  I  will  weep  for  her  no  more.  Wliat  have  you 
been  doing  all  winter?  Does  your  mamma  teach  you, 
and  are  you  fond  of  learning?  You  are  her  only  child, 
and  you  must  learn  all  that  is  useful  and  excellent  to  be 
a  comfort  to  her,  and  to  honor  the  memory  of  your 
noble  father.  I  was  an  only  child,  and  how  often  I 
sorrow  to  feel  that  I  did  not  do  more  for  my  dear 
mother,  who  spent  her  life  in  trying  to  teach  me  every- 
thing I  ought  to  know,  especially  my  duty  to  my  God 
and  Saviour. 

"I  fear  you  will  find  this  letter  dull  for  your  gay 
young  heart,  which  now  sees  nothing  in  life  but  joy 
and  gladness.  I  well  know  it  appears  to  you  like  a  long 
summer  day,  filled  with  all  sorts  of  pleasures,  and  God 
has  given  us  so  much  that  is  beautiful — scattered  flowers 
all  along  our  paths.  For  them  and  all  other  blessings, 
we  must  thank  and  praise  Him. 

"  Give  my  love  to  your  mamma,  and  take  for  yourself 
as  much  as  you  care  to  have  from 

Mary  Custis  Lee." 

The  memory  and  example  of  her  father  seemed  to 
become  to  Julia  an  inspiration  just  as  soon  as  the  forma- 
tive influences  of  her  character  began  to  develop.  She 
had  scarcely  passed  beyond  childhood,  when  we  find 
her,  without  even  a  suggestion  from  any  one  else,  copy- 
ing from  the  private  journal  he  had  compiled  at  West 
Point,  the  rules  and  maxims  which  he  had  chosen  for  his 
guidance,  afterwards  adding  to  them  many  others, 
chiefly  from  the  Bible.    Her  favorite  selections  seemed 


20  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

to  be  those  inculcating  self-control,  bridling  the  tongue, 
and  doing  good  to  others.  Her  note-book  abounds  in 
such  passages  as  these.  ^'God  is  Love'^;  "If  you  love  me, 
keep  my  commandments."  Try  to  keep  them  all,  but 
especially  remember  the  fourth,  fifth  and  tenth,  which 
are  oftener  broken  than  the  others.  Always  try  to  give 
a  reasonable  answer  for  what  you  believe.  "Judge  not, 
that  ye  be  not  judged."  "Love  your  enemies,"  and 
never  speak  evil  of  them.  Always  try  to  be  polite  to 
everybody,  especially  the  aged;  and  if  any  one  is  rude 
to  you,  have  respect  enough  for  yourself  not  to  return 
the  rudeness.  "N'ever  neglect  duty  for  pleasure,"  and 
then  your  heart  will  be  at  ease.  Always  try  to  remember 
the  golden  rule:  "Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have 
them  do  unto  you." 

She  was  naturally  generous  and  unselfish — traits  in- 
herited from  her  father,  and  no  one  ever  possessed  a 
higher  sense  of  justice,  or  greater  scorn  for  all  deceit 
and  meanness,  and  her  own  nature  was  so  pure  and 
high-toned  that  she  was  not  prone  to  suspicion,  making 
it  difficult  for  her  to  penetrate  the  veil  of  innocence  and 
charity  through  which  it  was  her  wont  to  view  humanity 
in  general. 

As  a  little  child,  she  was  obedient,  truthful  and  so 
obliging,  that  one  of  her  young  uncles,  who  called  upon 
her  ad  libitum  for  his  little  errands  about  the  house, 
used  to  say,  he  believed  she  would  run  her  little  feet  off 
for  anybody  she  loved.  Her  affection  for  this  uncle, 
Eev.  Alfred  J.  Morrison,  was  extreme.  She  was  about 
fourteen,  when  he  was  cut  down  in  the  beginning  of 
his  ministry,  which,  in  virtue  of  his  talents  and  conse- 
cration,  promised  great  usefulness.     His   death   was 


^0^^^^ 


i 


^tV  J 


y 


JULIA  JACKSON 
(Age  12  years) 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  21 

Julia's  first  siperience  in  losing  a  loTed  our,  and  her 
grief  was  intense  and  pathetic. 

When  a  child,  she  associated  so  much  with  grown 
people,  that  her  feeling  of  liberty  and  equality  was,  in 
one  instance,  at  least,  productive  of  some  annoyance,  as 
well  as  of  amusement.  The  fiance  of  her  young  aunt 
(who  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  the  house),  had  wod 
little  Julia's  heart,  also,  by  his  caressing  attentions,  and 
she  seemed  to  think  that  she  was  as  much  the  object  of 
his  attention,  as  the  real  magnet.  During  his  visits,  the 
parlor  was  the  most  attractive  place  to  her — little 
dreaming  how  much  she  was  in  the  way — and  when  the 
lovers  would  take  a  buggy-drive,  she  was  quite  offended 
at  being  left  behind.  The  kind-hearted  future  uncle, 
seeing  how  much  she  took  it  to  heart,  included  her  once 
or  twice  in  his  invitations — unwelcome  as  her  small 
presence  must  have  been.  After  the  marriage,  when 
her  aunt  playfully  twitted  the  little  girl  on  having  "cut 
her  out,"  she  replied  reproachfully:  "Yes,  you  took 
him  from  me  V 

After  leaving  the  home  of  her  grandfather,  when  she 
was  ten  years  old,  her  education  was  continued  in  Char- 
lotte until  she  was  about  sixteen.  During  this  period, 
the  most  important  event  was  her  attendance,  with  her 
mother,  at  Eichmond,  upon  the  unveiling  of  the  bronze 
statue  of  General  Jackson,  which  was  presented  to  Vir- 
ginia, by  English  gentlemen.  She  was  then  twelve  years 
old,  and  was  so  exceedingly  shy,  that  the  notice  she 
attracted  on  her  father's  account,  gave  her  positive 
suffering.  When  she  was  taken  from  my  side,  and  unex- 
pectedly to  herself,  held  up  on  the  platform,  by  Gov- 
ernor Kemper,  and  presented  to  the  gaze  of  the  vast 


22  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

multitude,  as  "Jackson's  child,"  it  was  such  a  shock  to 
her  sensitive,  shrinking  nature,  that  when  she  came  back 
to  me,  she  was  trembling  all  over,  and  begged  to  retire 
at  once  to  the  privacy  of  our  apartments,  that  she  might 
regain  her  composure.  As  she  grew  towards  woman- 
hood, she  overcame  her  excessive  timidity,  and  learned 
to  meet  the  attentions  and  courtesies  paid  her  by  her 
father's  admirers  with  the  true  graciousness  and  appre- 
ciation which  she  felt  in  her  inmost  heart.  Her  strength 
of  will  showed  itself  in  this,  as  in  all  the  developments 
of  her  nature,  which  reflected  so  distinctly  many  of  the 
fine  traits  of  her  father's  character. 

About  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  she  became  a  member 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Charlotte,  the 
church  of  her  inheritance  and  of  her  choice,  to  which 
she  remained  faithful  as  long  as  she  lived.  She  had 
great  reverence  for  sacred  things,  and  a  sincere  desire 
to  use  her  influence  for  good,  but  for  a  period,  after 
entering  upon  her  bright,  young  girlhood,  the  attrac- 
tions of  the  world,  and  the  adulation  she  received,  threw 
around  her  a  spell  of  worldliness,  which  made  her  more 
negligent  in  her  religious  duties.    A  poet  has  truly  said : 

"  'Tis  always  so  easy  to  wander 
When  our  lives  are  glad  and  sweet." 

Her  environment  of  charming  and  captivating  influ- 
ences, was  enough  to  dazzle  even  a  stronger  nature  than 
hers.  But  God,  in  his  own  good  time  and  way,  drew 
her  back  of  Him,  and  her  later  years  w^ere  marked  by 
unusual  development  in  the  divine  life.  She  was  de- 
voted to  music — being  gifted  in  it  herself,  and  learned 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  23 

to  play  with  much  taste  and  expression.  Her  voice, 
though  not  strong,  was  sweet  and  flexible,  and,  after 
hearing  an  air,  she  caught  it  with  wonderful  quickness. 
She  was  quite  a  reader,  and  improved  her  mind  in 
that  way— it  being  one  of  the  things  she  most  loved  to 
do.  She  was  especially  fond  of  poetry,  and  had  com- 
mitted to  memory  many  passages  from  Shakespeare, 
Longfellow  and  other  great  poets.  Adelaide  Proctor 
and  Father  Kyan  were  favorites  with  her,  and  she  loved 
many  hymns. 

In  the  last  few  years  of  her  life,  she  seemed  herself 
to  be  inspired  with  the  spirit  of  poesy,  and  left  behind 
her  a  number  of  fragmentary  pieces,  breathing  senti- 
ments of  earnest  piety,  and  aspirations  after  holiness 
and  consecration. 

While  she  was  kindly  and  gracious  with  her  associates 
in  general,  making  friends  wherever  she  went,  she  had 
few  real  intimate  friends,  and  still  fewer  confidants. 
Like  her  father  before  her,  she  knew  how  to  keep  her 
own  counsel,  and  when  a  secret  was  entrusted  in  her 
keeping,  it  remained  there  with  as  much  sacredness 
and  safety  as  if  it  had  been  deposited  in  the  grave.  For 
so  young  a  person,  she  was  remarkably  prudent  in  speech 
—self-reliant,  and  independent  in  thought  and  action. 
But  when  she  did  love  and  trust  a  friend,  she  gave  the 
whole  of  her  warm  and  loving  heart,  and  no  human 
heart  was  ever  more  true  and  loyal  than  hers.  She  said 
herself,  that  "when  she  loved  once,  she  loved  forever." 
Her  most  devoted  and  intimate  friend,  whose  acquaint- 
ance began  at  school,  said  of  her :  "Even  before  I  knew 
her  name,  a  sweet  unselfish  act  of  hers  to  me,  then  a 
sick  and  homesick  child,  made  me  feel  that  among  all 


24  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

the  strange  faces  surrounding  me,  hers  was  the  one  I 
could  learn  to  love ;  and  the  friendship  formed  then  was 
onl}^  deepened  and  strengthened  by  time." 

As  Julia  budded  into  womanhood,  she  lost  much  of 
that  pensive  look  that  was  so  noticeable  in  childhood; 
her  countenance  and  manner,  when  in  conversation, 
being  instinct  with  animation  and  vivacity;  but  when 
in  repose,  her  face  usually  assumed  much  of  the  same 
old  expression  of  pensiveness. 

The  last  two  years  of  her  school-life  were  spent  at 
"The  Southern  Home  School"  in  Baltimore — her 
mother  accompanying  her,  and  boarding  near  the 
school.  The  Baltimore  Gazette  published  at  that  time 
the  following  notice :  "When  the  Jackson  statue  was 
unveiled  in  Eichmond  some  years  ago,  after  the  pro- 
cession and  the  oratory,  Governor  Kemper  brought  for- 
ward upon  the  platform  a  slender  little  girl,  and  ad- 
dressing the  crowd  of  the  old  Confederate  soldiers,  said : 
^Comrades,  let  me  present  to  you  the  daughter  of 
^Stonewair  Jackson.^  Somehow  the  tears  sprang  to 
every  eye  at  the  sight  of  this  delicate  child  of  their 
resistless  leader.  There  was  no  cheering,  but  every 
face  showed  deep  emotion.  Ever  since  that  time  a 
tender  and  poetic  interest  has  clung  to  this  little  lady, 
and  there  are  many  thousands  who  care  to  know  of  her 
well-being.  She  has  recently  arrived  in  this  city,  under 
the  care  of  her  mother,  who  never  loses  sight  of  her  and 
who  brings  her  to  school.  She  has  been  entered  at  the 
Southern  Home  School,  Mrs.  W.  M.  Gary  and  Mrs. 
General  Pegram,  principals.  Miss  Julia  Jackson  is 
about  sixteen  years  old,  medium  height,  slender  and 
graceful.    She  is  blonde,  with  fresh  color  and  fair  hair. 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  35 

Her  eyes  are  of  exquisite  clear  gray,  large  and  expres- 
sive. Her  manners  are  gentle,  but  not  shy  or  reserved. 
There  is  a  marked  resemblance  to  her  illustrious  father, 
and  she  seems  hardly  conscious  of  the  distinction  that 
she  enjoys,  and  of  the  romantic  interest  that  she  carries 
with  her." 

Her  school  life  in  Baltimore  was  not  marked  by  any 
events  of  unusual  occurrence.  The  first  Christmas  she 
was  there,  the  old  Confederate  soldiers  of  the  city,  who 
had  followed  her  father,  presented  her  with  a  beautiful 
silver  pitcher.  General  Trimble  making  a  handsome 
presentation  speech  in  behalf  of  the  donors. 

For  a  time,  during  her  sojourn  there,  she  displayed 
great  zeal  in  teaching  a  mission  class  in  the  Sunday 
School  of  the  church  we  attended.  Finding  one  of  her 
pupils  absent  one  Sunday,  she  determined  to  visit  her 
and  bring  her  back,  walking  alone  quite  a  distance  to 
an  unknown  and  obscure  part  of  the  cit}^,  her  earnest- 
ness and  force  of  will  carrying  out  her  mission,  causing 
her  to  lose  sight  of  any  danger  that  she  might  herself 
encounter  in  such  an  expedition. 

Prior  to  her  going  to  Baltimore,  her  health  not 
being  as  good  as  usual  one  summer,  for  her  benefit,  we 
visited  the  Buffalo  Lithia  Springs  in  Virginia,  and  her 
improvement  was  so  great  that  the  visit  was  repeated 
the  succeeding  summer.  From  a  pale-faced,  delicate 
looking  girl,  tlie  waters  of  that  remarkable  spring  trans- 
formed her  into  a  blooming  maiden,  and  the  beautiful 
and  healthful  glow  which  she  there  acquired,  continued 
the  rest  of  her  life. 


26  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

A  lady  with,  whom  we  had  been  at  the  Springs  after- 
wards wrote  this  of  Julia:  "I  can  recall  her  so  pleas- 
antly as  I  saw  her  at  Buffalo  Lithia  when  she  went 
every  morning  to  read  to  the  old  man  who  was  not  a 
believer  in  the  Bible,  and  she  tried  all  she  could  to  do 
him  good,  carrying  him  flowers  and  dainties  from  the 
table." 

She  made  an  agreement  with  her  young  gentlemen 
friends  to  meet  them  at  public  prayers  every  morning, 
if  they  would  go. 

About  the  close  of  her  first  year  at  school  in  Balti- 
more, we  attended  the  unveiling  of  a  Confederate  monu- 
ment in  Winchester,  Virginia,  and  were  welcomed  and 
entertained  with  all  the  graceful  hospitality  for  which 
that  historic  old  town  has  ever  been  noted.  It  is  need- 
less to  say  the  young  school-girl  was  charmed,  and  the 
most  pleasant  and  grateful  impressions  were  made  upon 
her  heart  by  the  kind  attentions  of  her  father's  friends 
and  followers.  Hers  might  have  been  called  a  charmed 
life,  with  the  rich  heritage  of  tender  interest  and  affec- 
tion that  hung  over  it.  She  fully  appreciated  and  felt 
grateful  for  all  this,  but  I  think  it  only  increased  her 
humility  and  self-depreciation — feeling  as  she  did,  that 
so  much  was  expected  of  her  father's  child,  and  her 
nature  was  so  exceedingly  sensitive  and  shrinking,  that 
the  publicity  and  demonstrations  she  had  to  encounter, 
were  often  more  of  a  trial  than  a  pleasure  to  her. 

In  May,  1881,  when  she  was  on  the  eve  of  leaving 
school  in  Baltimore,  we  were  invited  to  visit  New  Or- 
leans, to  witness  the  unveiling  of  a  statue  of  General 
Jackson,  erected  by  his  old  soldiers,  in  the  Southwest, 
in  Metairie  Cemetery.    In  the  Crescent  City,  the  young 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  27 

debutante  was  the  recipient  of  more  attentions  and 
graceful  courtesies  than  she  had  ever  received  in  her 
life  before — being  feted  in  almost  every  conceivable 
style,  and  having  presented  to  her  over  a  dozen  badges 
from  the  various  military  and  civic  associations.  Every 
military  company,  and  the  clubs  of  the  city,  gave  us 
receptions,  and  the  former  made  us  honorary  members, 
presenting  elegantly  framed  certificates.  The  freedom 
of  the  city  was  tendered  to  us,  and  no  guests  could  have 
been  more  royally  entertained.  The  floral  offerings 
were  truly  things  of  beauty  and  exquisite  works  of  art, 
and  the  speeches  that  presented  them  glowed  with 
chivalry  and  eloquence. 

At  a  reception  held  in  our  honor  one  evening,  at  the 
St.  Charles  Hotel,  a  reporter  made  the  following  pen- 
picture:  "Miss  Jackson,  a  fair,  fresh  blonde,  with 
beaming  hazel  (?)  eyes,  possesses  a  charming  dignity 
of  manner,  united  with  a  girlish  simplicity  that  is  most 
fascinating.  She  was  attired  in  pure  white,  her  only 
ornaments  being  a  miniature  of  her  father,  worn  at  her 
throat,  while  upon  her  shoulder  was  fastened  a  badge 
presented  her  by  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia." 

On  our  return  to  North  Carolina,  we  stopped  for  a 
brief  visit  to  relatives  in  Mobile,  where  the  citizens, 
especially  the  military,  seemed  to  vie  with  their  neigh- 
bors of  New  Orleans  in  giving  us  an  ovation  which, 
although  not  on  so  large  a  scale,  was  equally  cordial  and 
enthusiastic.  The  floral  offerings  in  that  sunny  South- 
land surpassed  anything  of  the  kind  I  had  ever  seen, 
representing  shields,  banners,  boats  and  various  devices, 
including  Confederate  and  Union  flags,  and  the  perfect 


38  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

inscription  in  flowers  of  the  words, ''  Stonewall  Jackson," 
"Welcome,"  etc. 

The  soft,  delicious  air  of  those  Gulf  States  in  May, 
the  wealth  of  flowers  and  evergreens,  the  lovely  drives 
over  shell  roads,  through  magnolia  groves,  alongside  the 
bay,  the  delightful  and  refreshing  sails  and  boat-excur- 
sions, to  which  were  added  the  charms  and  hospitality 
of  Southern  societ}^  fill  up  the  full  measure  of  enjoy- 
ment and  enchantment. 

During  the  few  years  after  Julia  left  school  until  her 
marriage,  we  were  often  birds  of  passage,  she  being  fond 
of  travel  and  seeing  new  places  and  people.  We  paid 
another  charming  visit  to  Xew  Orleans,  during  the 
mardi-gras  season,  which  bound  us  in  still  closer  ties 
of  affection  and  interest  to  its  noble  and  warm-hearted 
people.  We  also  visited  friends  in  Memphis,  Atlanta 
and  Charleston;  took  a  lovely  trip  through  Florida  one 
winter ;  went  occasionally  to  Baltimore  and  Washington, 
and  traveled  through  the  Northern  States;  but  Vir- 
ginia was,  par  excellence,  the  place  of  her  preference, 
and  she  spent  the  most  time  there;  Richmond  being 
our  headquarters.  Several  summers  w^e  visited  the 
Virginia  Springs.  Our  winters  were  generally  passed 
in  Richmond  and  our  summers  in  Lexington.  Virginia 
possessed  the  charm  of  being  her  father's  State,  and  for 
his  sake  the  Virginians  claimed  us  as  their  own;  but 
nowiiere  in  the  South  could  we  go  without  meeting  this 
same  protestation  of  interest  and  regard,  the  name  of 
^Stonewall'  Jackson  being  a  talisman  that  opened  to 
those  who  bore  it  every  Southern  heart  and  home.  And 
even  in  the  North  that  name  was  enough  to  win  for  his 
family  a  degree  of  kindness  and  hospitality  that  was  as 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  29 

gratifying  as  it  was  surprising — liberal-minded  North- 
erners claiming  him,  as  they  said,  and  feeling  proud  of 
him  as  an  American. 

Among  the  best  of  the  manifold  blessings  God  gave 
us,  through  his  name,  were  many  and  delightful  friends, 
verifying  the  proverb:  ^'A  good  name  is  rather  to  be 
chosen  than  great  riches.'^ 

Although  Julia  went  into  society  a  good  deal  and 
with  apparent  zest  and  enjoyment,  she  was  not  perfectly 
devoted  to  it,  and  often  wearied  of  its  demands  upon 
her.  Her  nature  was  too  true  and  earnest  to  gain 
content  and  happiness  from  the  mere  pleasure  of  the 
world.  She  never  indulged  in  card-playing,  nor  in 
round-dancing,  in  deference  to  the  wishes  of  her 
mother,  who  regarded  her  person — as  her  Christian 
father's  child — with  too  much  sacredness  to  be  encircled 
in  the  arms  of  any  and  every  man.  After  reaching 
maturity,  the  fatherless  girl  realized  more  and  more 
how  great  a  calamity  to  her  was  tlie  loss  of  her  father. 
Her  very  position  as  the  daughter  of  so  good  and  great 
a  man,  revealed  to  her  the  need  of  his  strong,  supporting 
arms,  and  no  young  heart  ever  yearned  more  for  the 
protecting  care,  guidance  and  fatherly  love  which  she 
had  lost  with  him.  Especially  was  this  the  case  in 
deciding  the  most  momentous  questions  of  her  life. 
She  possessed  the  decision,  bravery  and  physical  cour- 
age inherent  in  her  race.  Although  she  loved  her 
mother  with  all  the  depth  of  her  heart,  her  strength 
of  will  was  so  superior,  and  her  nature  so  diverse,  that 
it  was  very  difhcult  for  her  to  see  things  through  the 
same  medium  of  that  mother's  eyes,  and  her  independ- 
ence sometimes  led  her  to  decide  for  herself,  matters 


30  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

which  required  all  the  matured  judgment  and  experi- 
enced wisdom  of  a  parent.  She  always  knew  just  what 
she  wanted,  and  when  her  mind  was  made  up,  she  was 
not  given  to  wavering  or  change,  but  steadfastly  and 
resolutely  abode  by  her  decision — in  minor  matters  as 
well  as  in  those  of  greater  importance.  Her  heart  and 
nature  were  so  imbued  with  courage,  constancy  and 
determination,  and  she  felt  opposition  and  disappoint- 
ment so  keenly,  that  it  inclined  her  mother's  over- 
weening love  all  the  more  to  spare  her  from  its  embitter- 
ing and  depressing  effects.  But  in  the  last  few  years  of 
her  young  life,  her  strong  character  softened  and 
sweetened,  yielding  the  richest  return  of  filial  devotion, 
deference  and  tenderest  consideration  that  a  mother's 
heart  could  wish.  She  was  naturally  nervous  and  rest- 
less, and  full  of  latent  energ}^  which  needed  only  an 
object  to  call  it  forth,  and  when  it  was  put  into  exercise 
her  will  to  perform  what  she  willed  showed  that  she  was 
"a  chip  of  the  old  block." 

As  an  instance  of  this  conquering  spirit  of  perse- 
verance, I  may  mention  a  simple  incident  that  occurred 
while  Julia  was  visiting  an  aunt  at  Hampden  Sidney, 
Virginia.  There  were  two  institutions  of  learning  there 
at  that  time,  and  consequently  plenty  of  beaux,  whose 
society  she  was  just  at  the  age  to  enjoy  most,  and  whose 
demands  upon  her  time  almost  overwhelmed  her  with 
engagements.  But  she  resolved,  in  the  midst  of  all 
these  social  gayeties,  to  make  a  dress  for  herself.  She 
had  never  done  anything  of  the  kind  in  her  life,  and 
one  would  have  thought  her  as  capable  of  making  a 
Chinese  puzzle ;  but,  nothing  daunted,  she  went  to  work 
— cut,  fitted,  and  actually  made  the  whole  dress  with  her 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  31 

own  fingers,  without  a  machine,  astonishing  her 
friends  by  her  perseverance  and  success.  When  I  after- 
wards joined  her  at  her  aunt's,  she  came  to  meet  me, 
attired  in  a  most  becoming  blue  nun's  veiling  dress, 
elaborately  shirred,  and  well-fitting,  and  stylish  enough 
to  do  credit  to  a  city  dressmaker,  and  when  she  told  me 
it  was  her  own  work,  my  astonishment  was  beyond 
measure.  It  was  the  more  surprising  to  me  because 
I  had  always  discouraged  her  in  attempting  either  plain 
or  fancy  work,  on  account  of  her  not  being  robust  in 
childhood;  and  when  she  was  permitted  to  do  it,  she 
w^ould  become  so  fascinated  with  her  crocheting,  that 
she  would  never  lay  it  down  in  the  evening  until  she 
w^as  ordered  to  bed;  then  she  would  place  it  under  her 
pillow,  and  the  moment  her  eyes  were  open  in  the 
morning,  she  would  resume  her  work,  before  rising.  In 
consequence  of  this  inherited  tenacity  of  purpose,  I  had 
encouraged  her  in  outdoor  exercises  and  amusements, 
with  a  view  of  invigorating  her  constitution,  the  result 
being  successful,  for  as  she  grew^  in  years,  she  devel- 
oped in  strength  and  vigor. 

In  the  year  1883,  while  Julia  w^as  visiting  at  Old 
Point,  an  ex-Confederate  soldier  paid  her  the  following 
tribute : 

"Jewel  brightest,  fairy  belle. 
Unto  thee  my  heart  I  tell. 
Lovely  art  thou  in  thy  ways. 
In  thine  eyes  are  witching  rays. 
Although  our  paths  do  lie  apart. 
Joyous  be  thy  truest  heart, 


32  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

All  the  hours  of  thy  pure  life, 
Cheerful,  gay  and  without  strife. 
Know  that  for  thy  father's  sake 
Southern  men  do  hold  thee  dearest, 
Over  all  their  maidens  nearest, 
Now  and  ever  in  their  hearts." 

On  the  2nd  of  June,  1885,  Julia  Jackson  was  married 
to  Mr.  William  Edmund  Christian,  then  a  resident  of 
Eichmond,  and  a  talented,  cultured  young  gentleman, 
who  had  by  a  long  siege  of  devotion,  won  her  whole 
heart. 

The  ceremony  took  place  in  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Eichmond,  Eev.  Dr.  Moses  D.  Hoge,  the 
pastor,  and  the  Eev.  William  H.  Christian,  the  father 
of  the  groom,  officiating.  In  taking  this  most  important 
step  in  her  life,  she  did  not  consider  herself  alone,  as 
the  following  extract  from  a  letter  she  wrote  her  grand- 
father will  show:  "One  thing  that  drew  me  to  him 
was  his  great  kindness  and  regard  for  my  mother.  I 
feel  sure  that  he  will  do  everything  in  his  power  to 
make  her  life  comfortable  and  happy,  as  well  as  my 
own,  and  I  trust  we  may  all  have  a  lovely  home  together, 
and  live  useful.  Christian  lives. '^  Her  most  intimate 
friend  also  said :  "When  Julia  wrote  me  of  her  engage- 
ment, I  remember  how  earnestly  she  expressed  her  hope 
that  her  marriage  would  give  her  mother  a  strong  arm 
to  lean  on — her  leading  thought  seemed  to  be  of  her 
happiness.  And  then,  after  her  marriage,  she  invariably 
wTote  as  if  she  was  so  thankful  to  be  in  her  own  home, 
and  to  realize  that  the  gay  world  had  no  longer  a  claim 
upon  her." 


JULIA  JACKSON 
(as  a  Bride) 


JUTAA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  33 

The  occasion  of  lier  mnrriage  called  forth  many  testi- 
monials of  interest  and  affection  from  the  old  soldiers 
and  friends  of  General  Jackson;  the  presents  of  silver, 
china,  bric-a-brac  and  various  other  things  pertaining  to 
housekeeping  were  numerous  and  valuable. 

After  taking  a  Northern  tour,  the  young  couple,  in 
a  short  while,  made  a  home  for  themselves  in  Richmond. 
And  now  it  was  that  the  young,  ardent  little  housekeeper 
displayed  the  stuff  she  was  made  of,  taking  unbounded 
pleasure  in  furnishing  and  beautifying  her  house.  Her 
lovely  and  elegant  bridal  gifts  added  greatly  to  the 
adornment  of  her  home,  and  were  cherished  souvenirs 
with  her.  She  was  very  ambitious  to  become  a  good 
housekeeper,  and  studied  and  tested  her  cookery  books. 
When  her  entertainments  were  commended  and  ad- 
mired, she  received  even  more  pleasure  and  gratification 
than  the  guests,  and  her  aim  was  ever  to  discharge  her 
domestic  duties  in  the  way  to  make  her  home  the  abode 
of  love  and  comfort.  She  was  a  true  and  loyal  wife, 
willing  to  make  any  sacrifice  for  her  husband's  best 
interests,  and  when,  before  a  year  had  ended,  he  was 
tempted  by  brighter  prospects  to  remove  to  the  North- 
west, she  deemed  it  her  duty  to  yield  to  his  wishes,  and 
without  a  demur,  gave  up  the  bright  little  home  she 
had  made,  so  much  enjoyed,  and  brought  to  such  per- 
fection, packed  away  her  furniture,  and  went  with  him 
to  St.  Paul,  Minnesota.  They  spent  the  summer  of 
1886  in  the  beautiful  and  growing  twin-cities  of  St. 
Paul  and  Minneapolis,  and  the  succeeding  autumn 
found  them  on  the  Pacific  coast,  in  San  Diego,  Cali- 
fornia. The  business  prospects  of  that  place  were  just 
then   unusually   inviting,    a  real   estate   boom   having 


34  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

struck  the  little  town,  drawing  an  influx  of  people  and 
prosperity  which  was  marvelous;  but  proved  to  be 
equally  ephemeral.  In  one  year  the  population  multi- 
plied from  twelve  thousand  to  thirty  thousand,  and 
buildings  and  business  increased  in  proportion.  But  in 
less  than  two  years  the  big  bubble  burst,  the  collapse 
throwing  so  depressed  and  discouraging  an  aspect  upon 
business  affairs,  that  many  of  the  strangers  who  had 
been  allured  there  by  tlie  dazzling  prospects,  returned 
East,  where  things,  though  not  moving  with  such 
lightning  speed,  were  nevertheless  upon  a  more  sub- 
stantial and  permanent  basis.  Among  this  train  we 
found  ourselves,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1888,  after  a 
residence  of  two  years  in  San  Diego,  we  removed  to 
Charlotte,  North  Carolina.  We  did  not,  however,  like 
Naomi,  return  empty,  but  came  back  enriched  with  the 
possession  of  two  lovely  little  Calif ornians,  who  brought 
more  joy  and  sunshine  into  our  lives  than  all  the 
wealth  of  the  Golden  State  could  have  given  us.  In 
Charlotte,  Mr.  Christian  engaged  in  journalism,  and 
here  Julia  had  the  pleasure  of  collecting  all  of  her 
pretty  Eichmond  furniture  together  again,  and  making 
a  most  attractive  and  comfortable  home.  Although 
glad  to  get  back  among  our  own  people  once  more,  our 
sojourn  in  California  had  been  full  of  interest  and  of 
much  genuine  enjoyment.  The  superb  climate  of  glori- 
ous sunshine  and  balmy  sea  breezes,  the  beauties  of  the 
scenery,  combining  ocean  and  mountains,  and  the  full- 
ness and  activity  of  life,  caused  by  the  springing  up  of 
a  city  like  a  mushroom,  made  San  Diego  quite  an  inter- 
esting place.  The  historic  old  town  (for  the  original 
settlement  dates  back  over  a  century),  became  all  the 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  35 

more  endeared  to  us  as  the  birthplace  of  our  precious 
little  children,  and  we  made  some  warm  friends  there. 
Julia  loved  that  delicious,  genial  climate,  with  its 
luscious  fruits  and  flowers,  describing  it  herself  in  a 
letter  as  "The  land  of  perpetual  spring,  with  its  constant 
sunlight;  the  beauty  and  fragrance  of  its  flowers  that 
cover  the  hills  like  Oriental  rugs,"  and  while  there,  she 
almost  lived  in  the  open  air.  She  had  her  horse  and 
buggy,  and  a  large  part  of  the  first  baby's  life  was 
passed  in  driving  around  the  town  and  country,  her 
mother  saying  she  was  "a  fresh-air  child,"  and  certainly 
both  mother  and  babe  showed  the  good  results. 

Maternity  was  the  crowning  influence  to  bring  into 
play  and  to  develop  all  the  noble,  self-sacrificing  and 
sterling  traits  of  Julia's  character.  Her  elder  child 
was  named  Anna  Jackson,  but  after  the  death  of  her 
mother,  the  name  of  Little  Anna  was  changed  to  Julia, 
as  a  memorial  by  the  husband  and  father.  She  always 
called  her  "Baby-love,"  until  the  arrival  of  her  boy,  and 
to  my  eyes,  no  picture  could  have  been  sweeter  and 
lovelier  than  that  of  the  fresh,  girlish-looking  mother, 
and  the  bright  little  rose-bud  of  a  baby  she  held  in  her 
arms.  In  my  absence,  the  theme  of  Julia's  letters  was 
Baby-love — her  winning  little  ways,  her  mimicry  and 
her  affection — saying:  "She  is  such  a  little  sunbeam. 
Sometimes  when  she  is  almost  asleep,  she  will  raise 
herself  up  and  put  up  her  little  mouth  to  kiss  me ;  then 
she  nestles  down  and  goes  to  sleep.  I  can  never  thank 
my  Heavenly  Father  enough  for  my  little  treasure." 
"Baby-love  is  just  sweeter,  brighter,  and  prettier  than 
ever.  She  is  so  fond  of  music,  that  when  she  hears 
singing,  she  sings,  too,  and  when  she  hears  the  band 


36  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

down  the  street,  slie  beats  time  with  her  little  hand." 
x\gain  she  wTote:  ''You  could  not  have  given  me  more 
gladness  than  by  telling  me  that  I  had  been  a  sweeter 
daughter  since  m}^  marriage  than  I  ever  was  before. 
God  grant  that  I  may  nevermore  give  you  a  pain.  Keep 
me  in  your  heart;  I  know  you  will,  darling,  and  pray 
constantly  that  my  strength  may  more  abundantly  in- 
crease. A  mother  requires  so  much  strength,  mental, 
moral  and  physical  to  rear  a  family.  Anna,  even  at  her 
age,  understands  every  word  that  is  spoken  to  her,  and 
I  want  to  keep  my  strength  for  my  children."  Her 
most  intimate  friend  said:  "The  last  time  I  saw  Julia, 
she  was  absorbed  in  her  children,  and  told  me  that  ^Anna 
already  understood  what  the  truth  was,  and  inust  speak 
it.'  Her  own  truthfulness  was  certainly  one  of  her  most 
conspicuous  traits,  and  she  required  it  absolutely  from 
others.'^  She  had  taught  Anna  w4io  made  her,  before 
she  could  plainly  speak  the  name  of  God,  and  before  she 
was  two  years  old,  to  lisp  her  prayers  at  her  mother's 
knee.  Her  maternal  heart  was  even  more  bound  up  in 
her  son,  who  was  from  his  birth  an  uncommonly  large, 
promising  child,  and  she  felt  that  he  must  be  her  father's 
representative.  She  gave  him  the  full  name  of  his 
grandfather,  Thomas  Jonathan  Jackson,  but  called  him 
simply  Jackson,  and  her  most  earnest  desire  was  that  he 
should  indeed  prove  worthy  of  his  priceless  inheritance. 
She  consecrated  both  her  children  to  the  Lord  in  bap- 
tism, and  was  resolved  to  bring  them  up  for  Him.  In 
a  letter  to  a  Christian  friend,  she  expressed  her  desire 
that  her  son  should  become  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 
She  described  him  as  her  "splendid,  bright,  rollicking 
boy,  dimpled  all  over,"  and  said  her  most  ardent  wish 


JVLIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  37 

for  him  was  tliat  ho  sliould  he  like  her  father.  She 
intended,  if  she  liad  lived,  to  teach  her  chiklren  herself, 
until  they  were  at  least  twelve  years  old,  wishing  to 
imprint  on  them  her  best  instructions  in  the  formation 
of  their  characters.  She  deeply  realized  her  responsi- 
bility as  a  parent,  and  was  determined  to  train  aright 
the  immortal  souls  whom  God  had  entrusted  to  her 
keeping. 

Anna  was  baptized  at  the  age  of  six  months,  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  San  Diego,  by  the  pastor,  Eev. 
Dr.  W.  B.  Xoble.  Jackson  received  the  sacred  rite  in 
his  mother's  arms,  in  her  own  home  in  Charlotte  (being 
sick  at  the  time  and  not  able  to  be  carried  to  the 
church),  from  the  hands  of  Eev.  Dr.  A.  W.  Miller. 
Although  her  husband  stood  by  her  side,  Julia  preferred 
holding  the  child  herself — his  illness,  and  her  fear  of 
losing  him,  making  him  doubly  precious  to  her  heart. 
An  eye-witness  said:  "I  shall  never  forget  her  appear- 
ance as  she  came  into  the  parlor,  bearing  Jackson  in 
her  arms  and  took  her  stand  before  the  minister.  She 
looked  so  lovely,  and  her  whole  heart  seemed  to  be  in 
the  service.  She  was  the  impersonation  of  devoutness 
and  consecration."  This  was  only  three  months  before 
she  was  herself  translated  to  dwell  among  the  angels. 

During  her  last  j^ear's  residence  in  Eichmond,  she 
writes:  "This  morning  I  heard  an  eloquent  sermon 
from  Dr.  Hoge,  and  I  wished  for  you.  The  text  was: 
The  secret  things  belong  unto  the  Lord  our  God,  but 
those  things  which  are  revealed  belong  unto  us  and  to 
our  children  forever.'  His  explanation  of  God's  with- 
holding from  us  that  which  is  beyond  the  grasp  of  our 
minds,  was  truly  convincing.    Could  we  but  be  content, 


38  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

resting  upon  our  Father's  faithful  promises,  we  would 
not  ask  for  the  veil  of  futurity  to  be  drawn  aside,  know- 
ing that  God  will  lead  us  step  by  step  through  the 
shadows  and  past  temptations,  until  the  breaking  of 
the  morning  light,  and  our  star  of  faith  is  set  in  God's 
own  firmament."  In  writing  to  her  mother  upon  the 
death  of  a  sister,  she  says :  "Since  the  sad  news  came,  I 
have  not  ceased  longing  to  comfort  j^ou,  for  every  pain 
that  comes  into  your  heart,  saddens  mine,  and  your 
grief  is  also  mine.  I  know  now  that  God  purifies  His 
own  until  the  spirit  has  life  only  in  Him,  and  the  flesh 
no  longer  craves  earthly  pleasures.  I  know  that  when 
in  trouble,  our  Heavenly  Father  takes  us  close  in  His 
enfolding  arms  and  lifts  us  above  the  world.''  Knowing 
her  aunt's  love  for  music,  she  sent  an  exquisite  white 
floral  lyre  for  her  casket. 

When  I  was  in  Lexington  one  summer,  she  wrote  me : 
"How  I  should  enjoy  seeing  those  glory-crowned  moun- 
tains just  as  the  sun  is  sinking  behind  them.  As  a 
child,  and  then  in  my  girlhood,  I  have  loved  those 
mountains,  especially  as  viewed  from  the  cemetery, 
standing  like  sentinels  guarding  the  sacred  resting  place 
of  our  dearest  one.''  Again  she  wrote  from  Charlotte  on 
the  last  anniversary  of  her  father's  death  which  she 
lived  to  see:  "As  this  is  Memorial  Day,  I  have  sent 
what  flowers  I  had  to  the  graves  of  our  brave  soldiers. 
How  I  wish  I  could  place  some  upon  my  loved  father's 
resting-place!  That  God  may  spare  you  to  me  many 
years,  my  darling  mother,  is  my  prayer  this  day."  She 
closed  another  letter  by  saying:  "Be  happy,  dearest 
of  mothers,  and  trust  our  Father  in  Heaven.  All  is  for 
the  best." 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  39 

To  her  servants  she  was  ever  kind  and  just,  and  made 
them  her  friends  by  her  politeness  and  consideration. 

In  a  letter  to  an  aunt,  she  says :  "You  must  not  think 
me  unappreciative  of  your  sweet  thought  of  me  on  my 
birthday,  for  you  have  never  forgotten  the  day  since  my 
earliest  childliood !  I  know  your  boys  must  be  a  great 
pleasure  to  you,  and  I  trust  you  may  always  find  comfort 
and  happiness  in  them.  Napoleon  said  that  ^Men  are 
what  their  mothers  make  them,^  and  it  is  certainly  the 
nohlest  part  of  a  woman's  duty  to  rear  her  sons  io  the 
nohlest  aims  hi  life.^' 

During  the  exposition  at  Minneapolis,  where  she  lived 
for  a  short  time,  she  says:  "I  spent  many  charming 
hours  in  the  art-rooms,  and  I  often  wished  that  you 
might  be  with  me  to  enjoy  the  masterpieces  of  our 
finest  American  artists,  knowing  your  fondness  for 
everything  pertaining  to  art." 

At  San  Diego,  which  was  her  home  afterwards,  she 
says :  "Here  we  have  the  rare  combination  of  mountain 
and  ocean,  which  is  very  beautiful;  and  each  morning, 
the  islands  rising  mountain  high  in  the  midst  of  the 
ocean,  assume  different  shapes,  owing  to  the  peculiar 
state  of  the  atmosphere." 

Another  friend  there  was,  that  noble  Christian 
woman,  Mrs.  E.  H.  Brown  of  Eichmond,  who  never 
forgot  Julia's  birthday  during  all  her  life,  and  never 
failed  to  commemorate  it  with  some  little  loving  and 
useful  token. 

In  her  quiet  hours,  when  her  maternal  duties  con- 
fined her  at  home,  especially  on  Sundays,  she  spent 
much  time  in  religious  reading.  She  obeyed  Christ's 
injunction  to  search  the  scriptures — her  own  Bible  bear- 


40  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

ing  marks  of  her  close  reading  and  application  of 
favorite  passages.  The  sermons  of  Frederick  W.  Eobert- 
son  were  a  great  delight  and  comfort  to  her,  and  many 
were  the  interlinings  she  made  upon  his  pages.  There 
seemed  to  be  a  peculiar  sympathy  and  unison  of  feeling 
between  the  two  souls.  Thomas  a  Kempis'  "Imitation 
of  Christ/'  she  also  read  much,  and  it  was  marked  in 
the  same  wa}^  although  she  did  not  endorse  his  asceii- 
cism,  as  the  following  will  show:  "Eise  earl}-,  watch, 
pray,  labor,  read,  write,  be  silent,  sigli,  and  bravely 
endure  adversity,'' — she  stroked  out  the  word  sigh  and 
substituted,  "Be  ever  cheerful." 

She  believed  it  to  be  a  duty,  under  all  circmnstances, 
to  cultivate  cheerfulness,  the  sentiment  appearing  in  her 
handwriting  in  a  number  of  places  in  her  note-book. 
Upon  the  fly-leaves  of  "Imitation  of  Christ,"  she  wrote 
the  following  quotations : 

"None  is  made  great  by  the  voice  of  human  praise." 
"We  live  in  deeds,  not  years;  in  thoughts,  not  breaths; 
in  feelings,  not  in  figures  on  a  dial."  "He  most  lives, 
who  thinks  most,  feels  the  noblest,  acts  the  best." 
"That  man  lives  twice,  that  lives  the  first  life  well." 
"Life  is  not  measured  by  the  time  we  live."  "To  live 
in  hearts  we  leave  behind  is  not  to  die." 

"Death  but  a  path  that  must  be  trod, 
If  man  would  ever  pass  to  God." 

"Live  to  God :  Do  your  duty.  Notliing  is  too  late  till 
the  tired  heart  shall  cease  to  palpitate." 

"Peace  is  found  in  seclusion  from  the  world.  Separ- 
ate   from    worldly    affairs."      "Let   your   thoughts    be 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  41 

directed  to  God."  "Niglit  brings  out  stars,  as  sorrow 
brings  out  truths." 

In  another  place  she  wrote:  "An  English  divine  has 
beautifully  portrayed  the  Christian  as  one  on  whose 
clear  and  open  brow  God  has  set  the  stamp  of  truth; 
one  whose  very  eye  beams  bright  with  honor;  in  whose 
very  look  and  bearing  you  may  see  freedom,  manliness, 
veracity;  a  brave  man;  a  noble  man;  frank,  generous, 
true." 

"So  close  was  his  communion  with  his  Heavenly 
Father,  that  all  trials  were  received  with  perfect  sub- 
mission, and  no  earthly  pains  had  power  to  disturb  that 
calmness,  that  'inner  rest,'  which  is  deep  as  summer 
midnight,  yet  full  of  life  and  free  as  summer  sunshine — 
the  Sabbath  of  eternity." 

She  then  quotes  from  Mrs.  Charles  Kingsley's  dedi- 
cation to  her  husband  (evidently  for  my  benefit  in 
writing  her  father's  life),  words  which  are  applicable 
alike  to  both : 

"Gentle  and  strong;  modest  and  humble;  tender  and 
true." 

"To  some  it  may  seem  treachery  to  lift  the  veil  from 
the  iimer  life  of  a  man,  Avho,  while  here,  hated  the 
notoriety  which  he  could  not  escape,  and  shrank  from 
every  approach  of  egotism."  (How  true  was  this  of 
General  Jackson  !)  "Continual  resignation  is  the  secret 
of  continual  strength."  Again  are  found  resolutions 
she  had  made  "to  hold  communion  only  with  Christ," 
and  she  speaks  of  the  peace  He  gave  her,"  when  in 
prayer  He  lifts  my  heart  up  to  the  grand  contemplation 
of  Heaven's  joys  !  Oh  !  the  music  of  Heaven  !  Tliere 
is  also  a  touching  prayer:     "Oh!  Christ,  let  me  lean 


42  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

only  on  Thee;  hide  my  poor  little  life  in  Thy  great 
love  and  life." 

These  are  sacred,  precious  revelations,  evincing  her 
rapid  ripening  for  the  full  fruition  of  joy  and  glory, 
upon  which  she  was  so  soon  to  enter.  She  may  have 
had  a  presentiment  that  she  would  die  early,  but  if  so, 
it  cast  no  shadow  or  unhappiness  upon  her  young  life; 
though  she  "armed  herself  with  jealous  care,  as  in  God's 
sight  to  live,"  she  did  so  in  brave  cheerfulness,  discharg- 
ing her  tender  duties  with  promptness  and  fidelity;  her 
care  and  devotion  to  her  children  being  the  absorbing 
occupation  of  her  life.  But  this  did  not  render  her 
indifferent  or  unmindful  of  outside  obligations.  She 
was  kind  and  generous  to  the  poor  and  suffering.  She 
returned  to  Charlotte  near  the  time  of  Thanksgiving, 
but  even  after  her  long  journey  from  California,  and 
with  sick  children,  she  did  not  forget  to  make  her 
offering  in  the  form  of  a  basket  of  tropical  fruits  to  a 
poor  family.  She  imitated  her  father's  system  in 
"tithing"  her  money,  and  after  her  translation,  an 
envelope  was  found  among  her  effects,  with  this  in- 
scribed upon  it  by  her  hand :  "Devoted  to  the  Lord — in 
case  of  my  death,  it  must  be  given  to  suffering  women 
and  little  children." 

Many  other  instances  of  her  Christian  consecration 
might  be  cited,  but  only  one  more  will  be  given  to  show 
how  her  will  was  lost  in  that  of  her  Heavenly  Father. 
A  few  years  before  her  death,  at  a  time  when  I  feared 
her  life  might  be  in  danger,  I  told  her  how  earnestly 
I  was  praying  for  her  safety,  and  asked  her  if  she  was 
not  also  praying  for  the  same  end.  Her  reply  was :  "No, 
mother,  I  only  pray  that  God's  will  may  be  done." 


JVLIA  JACK80N  CHRISTIAN  43 

The  scenes  of  her  last  illness  and  death  are  too  har- 
rowing to  dwell  upon,  but  for  her  children's  sake  a  brief 
outline  will  be  given: 

During  the  spring  preceding,  Jackson  had  a  long  and 
serious  illness,  and  she  then  wrote  to  a  near  connection : 
"I  have  given  the  precious  boy  to  God.  If  he  spares  his 
life,  I  shall  try  to  direct  his  mind  so  that  he  may  doYote 
his  life  to  the  Master.  I  can  only  say,  'Thy  will  be 
done.'  I  have  given  him  entirely  to  the  Lord."  This 
illness  of  her  cherished  boy  was  such  a  strain  upon  both 
her  m^ental  and  physical  strength,  that  she  was  much 
broken  down  by  it.  Afterwards  she  went  off  several 
times  for  a  change,  but  in  no  instance  did  she  stay  long 
enough  to  gain  substantial  benefit.  Her  last  visit  was 
to  Cleveland  Springs  but,  feeling  indisposed,  she  re- 
turned at  the  end  of  a  week,  against  remonstrance,  to 
seek  that  care  and  comfort  which  she  found  most  to 
abound  in  her  own  home. 

That  dread  disease,  typhoid  fever,  was  then  lurking 
in  her  system,  but  she  did  not  take  her  bed  for  another 
week,  and  even  after  doing  so,  she  seemed  so  slightly 
ill  for  the  first  two  weeks,  that  her  physician  hoped  the 
attack  would  prove  a  mild  one.  From  the  first,  however, 
my  heart  ,was  weighed  down  with  intense  apprehension, 
fearing  she  had  not  the  strength  to  battle  with  an 
insidious  disease;  but  she  was  very  cheerful,  natural 
and  even  playful  at  times — never  having  delirium  or 
any  distressing  symptoms.  At  first,  to  relieve  the 
tedium,  she  read  some  herself,  but  afterwards  we  read 
to  her,  and  she  enjoyed  listening  almost  to  the  last. 
In  the  beginning  she  was  interested  in  light  literature, 
but  she  often  asked  to  have  the  Bible  and  hymns  read  to 


44  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

her,  gradually  desiring  nothing  else,  and  she  loved  to 
hear  hymns  sung.  The  last  two  chapters  of  Revelation, 
which  are  descriptive  of  Heaven,  had  long  been  favorites 
of  hers,  and  she  called  for  them  repeatedly,  but  during 
the  whole  of  her  illness,  she  did  not  speak  of  death, 
and  was  calm  and  composed,  showing  only  by  her 
increased  devotion  and  delight  in  religious  exercises, 
that  her  mind  was  absorbed  in  spiritual  things.  But 
after  such  a  life  as  hers,  no  dying  testimony  was  needed, 
and  nothing  was  said  to  her  on  the  subject,  feeling  as 
we  did  no  anxiety  on  that  score,  and  as  long  as  there 
was  a  thread  of  hope  for  her  precious  life,  we  durst  not 
break  that  thread  by  running  the  risk  of  the  least 
excitement.  She  was  critically  ill  only  the  last  week. 
Almost  every  day  the  little  children  w^re  brought  to 
her  room  for  a  brief  visit,  as  it  pleased  and  cheered 
her  so  to  see  them.  Several  times  Anna  came  in  with 
some  offering,  saying,  "Mamma,  I  bought  you  a  flower," 
and  once  it  was  an  egg  she  had  found,  and  which  she 
thought  her  dear  mother  could  eat.  Jackson  was  gener- 
ally carried  to  a  window  in  front  of  her  bed,  and  shown 
off  to  her  by  disporting  himself  (which  he  invariably 
did)  like  a  kitten,  with  a  cord  attached  to  the  window- 
shade.  His  mother  delighted  more  in  this  picture  than 
any  that  came  before  her  eyes.  On  the  last  day  she  spent 
with  us,  which  was  the  little  fellow's  first  birthday,  she 
seemed  specially  to  admire  him  in  his  playful  glee,  and 
before  he  was  taken  out,  she  asked  that  he  might  bo 
placed  on  the  bed  beside  her,  and  slie  was  so  perfect  ly 
herself,  as  she  said  :  '^Jackson,  you  arc  so  sweet,"  and 
she  smiled  so  fondly  and  tenderly  upon  him,  that  \vc 
could  not  realize  that  those  were  to  be  her  last  smiles  on 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  45 

earth.  During  her  sickness  she  was  particularly  pleased 
when  flowers  were  sent  to  her,  and  a  vase  was  kept  all 
the  time  within  her  view.  The  last  night,  when  her 
extreme  prostration  rendered  her  almost  unconscious 
of  her  surroundings,  she  said:  ^'Gather  the  flowers, 
all  of  them,  and  pile  them  up  high" — showing  the 
purity  and  beauty  of  her  thoughts. 

To  her  agonized  mother,  she  was  from  the  first  all 
tenderness,  gratitude  and  devotion,  frequently  asking 
me  to  kiss  her,  and  telling  me  how  much  she  loved  me. 
Once  she  said :  "You  do  too  much  for  me,  darling,  more 
than  I  am  worth." 

As  gently  and  peacefully  as  an  infant  sinks  to  slumber, 
her  pure  and  blessed  spirit  took  its  flight  to  that 
Heavenly  Home  where  her  father's  arms  were  doubtless 
waiting  to  receive  her  on  the  morning  of  the  30th  of 
August,  1889. 

Here  my  full  heart  would  fain  stop,  but  it  is  due  to 
her  dear  memory,  w^hich  called  forth  so  many  testi- 
monials of  love  and  esteem  from  friends  far  and  near, 
to  weave  them  in  as  a  part  of  her  history. 

A  year  or  two  before  her  last  illness,  and  wben  she 
was  in  her  usual  health,  she  requested  me,  in  case  of 
her  death,  to  have  her  buried  by  her  father's  grave  in 
Lexington.  Her  wish  was,  of  course,  carried  out,  but 
before  leaving  Charlotte,  a  funeral  service  was  held  in 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church.  The  following  account 
in  the  place  where  she  breathed  her  last,  is  from  a  Char- 
lotte newspaper : 

"The  funeral  services  were  conducted  at  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  with  military  honors.     All  the 


46  JVLIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

stores  in  town  were  closed  in  her  honor,  and  thousands 
came  to  pay  a  last  tribute  to  her  memory. 

"The  floral  decorations  in  the  church  were  magnifi- 
cent. 

"In  the  midst  of  vases  of  the  most  beautiful  flowers, 
and  covered  with  floral  wreaths  and  crosses,  was  placed 
the  casket,  directly  in  front  of  the  pulpit. 

"Most  conspicuous  of  all  was  the  Confederate  flag, 
suspended  from  the  great  arch  in  the  rear  of  the  pulpit, 
its  lower  folds  caught  up  and  held  slightly  by  spans  of 
ivy.  This  same  old  flag  had  enfolded  the  body  of  the 
gallant  father  in  the  last  funeral  rites,  and  was  unfurled 
once  more  over  the  remains  of  his  only  daughter.  The 
pulpit  was  almost  concealed  beneath  a  profusion  of 
w^hite  roses  and  grasses.  On  either  side  of  the  pulpit, 
guns  were  stacked  and  entwined  with  vines  and  flowers. 
Crossed  swords  covered  with  roses  added  to  the  effect  of 
the  scene.  Just  below,  and  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  was 
^Stonewall'  Jackson's  sword,  wTeathed  in  roses.  The 
Hornets'  Nest  Riflemen,  with  flag  all  tattered  and  torn 
in  Confederate  service  and  draped  in  crape,  acted  as  a 
guard  of  honor.  The  church  was  filled  to  overflowing, 
when  in  soft,  mournful  strains,  the  choir  opened  the 
services  by  singing  'De  Profundis' — ^Out  of  the  depths 
have  I  cried  unto  Thee,  0  Lord.'  After  prayer,  and  the 
reading  of  the  first  part  of  the  19th  Psalm,  the  choir 
again  sang:  '^0  God,  our  help  in  ages  past.'  Eev. 
Edward  Mack  and  Eev.  E.  C.  Eeed,  delivered  brief,  but 
feeling  and  appropriate  addresses,  the  former  taking 
for  his  text:  *Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous 
and  let  my  last  end  be  like  his.' 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  47 

"The  final  hymn  sung  was :  "^How  blest  the  righteous 
when  he  dies/ 

"The  silver  plate  on  the  casket  bore  this  inscription: 

"  'Born  November  23rd,  1862, 
Julia  Jackson  Christian, 
Died  August  30th,  1889/  " 

A  private  car  was  tendered  by  the  Eichmond  and 
Danville  Eailroad,  and  the  day  following,  we  started 
on  our  sad,  sad  mission,  and  her  precious  remains  w^ere 
laid  to  rest  by  her  father^s  side,  on  Sunday,  the  1st  of 
September.    A  Lexington  paper  gives  the  following : 

"As  the  procession  moved  up  town  (from  the  depot), 
the  tolling  bell  solemnly  vibrating,  the  sorrowful  cortege 
and  the  crowd  of  bowed  heads,  made  a  scene  of  marked 
sadness.  The  casket,  in  which  rested  all  that  was  niortal 
of  'Stonewall's'  child,  was  taken  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  placed  at  the  chancel.  Choice  flowers,  the 
offerings  of  friends,  came  from  all  sections  to  cover  her 
over.  The  silent  visitors  and  Confederate  heroes  that 
reverently  passed  the  bier  in  the  dim  soft  light,  im- 
pressed all  with  the  solemnity  and  quietness  of  death. 
A  sweet  expression  had  left  the  countenance  as  if  in 
repose,  and  those  who  availed  themselves  of  taking  one 
last  look  at  the  sweet  face,  shed  tears  of  sorrow."  One 
remarked  that  it  was  'like  beautiful  wax  w^ork,'  in  its 
purity  and  transparency — the  body  having  been  em- 
balmed, was  perfectly  preserved. 

"A  detail  of  prominent  citizens,  representing  the 
friends  and  old  soldiers,  guarded  the  remains  through 


48  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

the  night  watch.  Sunday  morning  the  church  was 
crowded  with  the  members  of  all  denominations  from  all 
walks  of  life,  the  old  soldiers  being  specially  noticeable. 
After  the  choir  sang  a  voluntary,  'Abide  with  me/  the 
pastor,  Eev.  Dr.  T.  L.  Preston,  opened  the  services  with 
prayer,  followed  by  hymn  193:  'Come  to  Jesus.'  A 
prayer  by  Eev.  Dr.  E.  D.  Junkin  was  a  most  touching 
and  earnest  appeal  to  the  throne.  Dr.  Preston  preached 
a  practical,  appropriate  sermon,  and  his  remarks  touch- 
ing upon  the  personal  and  religious  character  of  the 
deceased,  brought  tears  into  the  eyes  of  many.  He  said 
that  no  hamlet,  village,  town  or  city  in  the  Confederacy 
was  in  deeper  sorrow  than  Lexington  to-day  at  the  death 
of  this  child  of  'StonewalF  Jackson.  He  said,  'they  have 
brought  her  here  to  rest  under  the  shade  of  the  trees, 
to  be  guarded  by  the  tender  affection,  love  and  reverence 
of  a  patriotic  people,  who  honor  the  illustrious  name  of 
her  distinguished  father.'  As  the  funeral  procession 
moved  out  of  the  church,  the  choir  sang,  'Asleep  in 
Jesus,'  in  a  most  touching  manner." 

Some  weeks  after  her  burial,  we  found  in  a  Bible  a 
request  in  her  handwriting  that  the  hymn,  "I  heard  the 
voice  of  Jesus  say,  come  unto  me  and  rest,"  should  be 
sung  at  her  funeral,  but  the  discovery  was  not  made  in 
time  to  fulfill  her  wish,  which  otherwise  would  have 
been  sacredly  regarded. 

At  the  cemeter}^,  as  the  daughter  was  laid  where  she 
had  wished  to  sleep,  beside  her  father,  the  plaintive  notes 
of  "Kock  of  Ages,"  added  a  solemnity  that  was  felt  in 
the  sternest  hearts.  Many  battle-scarred  veterans  of  the 
Confederacy,  with  heads  bowed,  in  tears,  watched  the 
remains   laid   at   rest.     The   grave  was   covered  with 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  49 

wreatlis,  bouquets,  crosses,  and  at  the  lieatl,  a  pillow  in 
white  roses,  on  which  was  set  in  purple  flowers:  "Julia." 
A  large  cross  sent  from  Eichmond  adorned  General 
Jackson's  grave. 

The  following  appeared  in  several  papers : 

"JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN." 

"The  death  of  no  other  private  individual  could,  have 
excited  the  great  interest  and  caused  the  pangs  of  deep 
regret  over  the  wide  expanse  of  this  Southern  country 
that  the  one  we  to-da}^  record  produces. 

"No  other  reminder  so  sad  could  have  come  to  the 
old  soldiers,  or  to  the  admirers  of  ^StonewalP  Jackson 
as  the  death  of  his  only  child.  The  children  of  great 
men,  usually,  only  have  the  association  in  the  minds 
of  the  people  as  being  the  offspring  of  their  parents. 
But  in  Julia  Jackson's  case  it  was  different.  Her  tender 
years,  and  her  extreme  infancy  at  the  time  of  the  death 
of  her  father,  the  touching  and  peculiar  circumstances 
of  his  last  sight  of  her;  his  death  in  the  maturity  of  his 
fame  and  in  the  very  zenith  of  his  renown,  and  amidst 
his  heroic  deeds;  the  crisis  and  decline  of  the  cause;  all 
tended  to  draw  the  attention  of  his  men  to  his  infant 
child,  and  in  the  minds  and  affections  of  his  scarred  and 
battle-worn  heroes,  she  became  the  'Child  of  the  Lost 
Cause.'  She  has  always  held  a  place  in  their  esteem 
and  has  excited  an  interest  and  commanded  a  respect 
from  the  Confederate  veterans  which  has  been  accorded 
to  no  other  person  outside  of  the  army  itself. 

"She,  too,  has  'passed  over  the  Eiver'  and  sleeps — 


50  JVLIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

rests  in  the  sweet,  still  repose  of  our  beautiful  valley 
beside  the  remains  of  her  illustrious  father,  at  the  home 
he  loved  so  well  in  life." 

From  the  Central  Presbyterian. 

"JULIA  JACKSON  CHEISTIAK 

"There  are  strains  of  music  wonderfully  beautiful, 
which  yet  seem  incomplete.  They  touch  within  us 
chords  unreached  by  more  finished  compositions;  they 
arouse  desires,  aspirations,  for  we  know  not  what,  some- 
thing beyond,  above  us,  something  vaguely  beautiful. 
We  strive  to  put  ourselves  in  the  artist's  place;  we  have 
a  great,  wild  yearning  to  know  more  of  his  idea ;  to  know 
why  he  left  unfinished  this  thing  of  wondrous  beauty — 
why  the  thought  seems  suggested  only — to  lie  forever  in- 
complete. Such  to  human  eyes  seems  the  life  which 
has  just  ended — the  life  over  which  a  nation  mourns — 
that  of  Julia  Jackson.  None  but  those  who  knew  her 
well  had  any  conception  of  the  immense  possibilities 
within  her.  Talents  of  very  high  order  lay  concealed, 
talents,  which  developed,  might  have  made  for  her  a 
name  independent  of  the  great  name  she  bore  because 
of  her  father's  deeds.  It  might  well  be  said  to  be  the 
irony  of  fate  that  her  inherited  gTeatness  should  have 
stood  in  the  way  of  her  personal  development.  Had 
she  been  the  daughter  of  an  obscure  man,  had  she 
lived  a  quiet  life  and  been,  from  earliest  years,  less  the 
nation's  darling,  few  women  of  our  country  would  have 
stood  out  more  conspicuously  for  grandeur  of  character, 
and,  perhaps,  for  literary  fame.  Her  father's  noble  char- 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  51 

acter  was  distinctly  hers.  Truth,  generosity,  fortitude, 
bravery,  an  abhorrence  of  meanness,  large  capacity  for 
self-denial — these  were  the  distinguishing  traits  of  her 
whom  sorrowing  friends  have  just  laid  to  rest.  Were 
not  all  these  conspicuous  in  our  own  loved  Southern 
hero?  She  was  not  called  to  fight  on  battle-fields  for  a 
country's  freedom,  but  there  are  silent  conflicts  in  every 
life,  battles  to  be  fought  and  won,  in  which  gentle 
women  are  called  to  prove  their  heroism.  But  the  lyre  lies 
broken — the  strain  is  unfinished.  The  beauty  of  the  .life, 
the  noble  thoughts  it  inspired  are  only  a  memory.  Will 
it  never  be  finished  ?  Ah !  yes,  now  that  the  ashen  gar- 
ments have  fallen,  she  can  'resume  the  broken  strain, 
without  let  or  thrall.^  Now  she  will  know  as  she  is 
known;  now,  seeing  no  longer  through  a  glass  darkly, 
but  face  to  face  with  the  Saviour  she  so  much  loved,  she 
will  be  transformed  into  the  same  image  from  glory  to 
glory.  Day  by  day — hour  by  hour — she  will  grow  more 
like  Him,  and  the  development  for  which  we  longed, 
which  was  so  confidently  expected,  will  be  broader, 
wider,  deeper  than  had  ever  been  dreamed  of.  At  best, 
here  the  life  could  have  been  but  imperfect;  there  it 
will  reach  infinite  perfection. 

"Quietly  the  body  lies  sleeping  amid  the  everlasting 
hills  of  beautiful  Lexington,  close  to  her  father,  cov- 
ered with  flowers,  the  last  tribute  of  love  and  friendship. 
Unfinished  we  call  her  life,  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  beau- 
tiful, useful  womanhood.  But  the  Master  artist  leaves 
nothing  incomplete.  The  music  begun  here  will  be 
finished  there,  gloriously,  perfectly. 

"How  we  love  to  dwell  on  the  resurrection  morning, 
when  this  mortal  shall  have  put  on  immortality,  this 


52  JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

corruptible  incorrnption;  when,  without  fault  or  blem- 
ish, we  shall  behold  our  loved  ones — complete  at  last, 
clothed  in  the  Saviour's  righteousness,  perfect  as  He  is 
perfect."  "M." 

"OX  THE  DEATH  OF  ^STONEWALL'  JACKSON'S 
DAUGHTEE. 

"She  peacefully  sleeps  by  the  warrior's  side. 

This  child  of  the  warrior's  love ; 
While  ^the  Mother  of  States'  weeps  in  sorrow  again. 

The  angels  are  chanting  above. 

The  father  and  child  are  united  forever, 

The  spirit  from  bondage  God  frees. 
On  wings  of  his  love  she  has  "^crossed  o'er  the  river,' 

And  rests  ^neath  the  shade  of  the  trees." 

(Mrs.  Wm.  Jones  in  "Atlanta  Constitution.") 

Many  letters  of  condolence  were  received  from  Con- 
federate officers,  widows  of  officers,  old  soldiers,  friends 
and  strangers.  Also  a  number  of  military  associations, 
including  the  E.  E.  Lee  Camp,  the  Eichmond  Howitzers, 
Grand  Camp  of  Norfolk,  First  Alabama  Eegiment,  Com- 
panies of  New^  Orleans,  Georgia,  and  perhaps  other 
States,  sent  resolutions  of  respect  and  sympathy,  all 
couched  in  language  of  devoted  loyalty  and  love  for 
the  memories  of  both  the  father  and  daughter.  The 
number  of  these  tributes  was  so  large  that  only  a  few 
extracts  are  culled  from  them,  those  relating  to  Julia 
alone.  The  first  is  from  the  pen  of  a  yoimg  man  of 
Eichmond : 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  53 

"I  was  on  the  ocean  when  I  saw  in  a  paper  the 
announcement  of  the  death  of  your  sweet  and  beloved 
daughter.  My  wish  was  that  1  might  be  on  land,  in 
order  to  get  to  Lexington  and  be  among  those  who  paid 
their  last  tribute  to  her  memory.  It  is  customary,  in 
speaking  of  such  assemblages,  to  call  them  'the  last 
tribute,'  and  yet  I  know,  in  this  instance,  there  can  be 
no  *last  tribute'  paid  to  the  memory  of  the  beautiful 
young  spirit  whose  sphere  of  existence  has  been  changed 
in  accordance  with  a  divine  plan,  for  to  mention  her 
name  hereafter  will  be  to  pay  her  tribute,  and  with  me 
the  last  tribute  can  only  be  paid  when  I  have  ceased  to 
live.  I  have  recalled  for  my  gratfication,  over  and  over 
again,  the  recollection  of  her  when  she  lived  in  Rich- 
mond. Her  friendship  I  prized  as  a  cherished  posses- 
sion. Her  gentle  and  unselfish  nature,  her  sunny  pres- 
ence, her  charity  of  mind,  impressed  me  from  the  first, 
and  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  her  but  deepened 
these  impressions,  so  that  I  have  looked  upon  her  friend- 
ship as  gainful  to  me  in  the  highest  sense.  How  true 
and  loyal  she  was  to  all  that  was  good,  noble  and  gener- 
ous, was  not  better  known  than  I  knew  it." 

The  next  is  from  a  Presbyterian  minister:  "You 
know  how  fond  I  used  to  be  of  little  Julia — and  of  Miss 
Julia — and  how  I  have  always  admired  and  thought 
much  of  your  lovely  and  remarkable  child,  whether 
under  these  names  or  her  married  title.  I  am  sure  you 
remember  how,  when  she  was  a  little  thing  in  Lexington, 
she  one  day  sprang  into  my  lap  (with  the  decision  and 
celerity  of  the  General  himself),  when  she  saw  me  hiding 
my  face  in  my  hands  and  pretending  to  cr}^,  and  then 


54  JVLIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN 

threw  her  arms  around  my  neck  and  kissed  me !  I  can 
see  her  before  me  now  as  she  rode  up  to  me  one  day  on 
Eex,  and  asked  me  to  name  him  for  her.  The  name  I 
suggested  did  not  comport  with  her  ideas  of  his  nobility. 
It  was  Miss  Mildred  Lee  (was  it  not?)  who  afterwards 
hit  upon  his  felicitous  appellation.  Maybe  you  can  call 
to  mind  a  conversation  you  and  I  once  had  about  Julia, 
in  which  I  ventured  upon  a  minute  description  between 
the  color  of  her  eyes,  and  of  her  father^ s,  to  which  you 
yourself  assented.  What  a  wonderful  resemblance  to  be 
sure  there  was  between  them,  not  only  in  outline  and 
expression  of  the  countenance,  but  in  traits  of  mind 
and  character.  I  have  lost  a  true  and  valued  friend — 
in  some  respects  the  living  image  of  the  immortal  man 
who  was  your  husband  !  But — what  is  my  loss  to  yours  ? 
Absolutely  nothing.  May  God  comfort  and  strengthen 
you! 

"The  secret  of  eternity  contains  many  a  lesson  of 
Christ's  discipline  of  his  saints  on  the  earth;  and  many 
a  sweet,  a  noble,  a  precious,  a  rarely  gifted  and  promis- 
ing life  was  arrested,  that  it  might  be  resumed  and 
rounded  out  in  heaven. '^ 

A  young  cousin  of  hers  wrote:  "When  I  think  of 
Julia,  as  I  can  remember  her,  from  the  time  she  was  a 
baby  in  Hetty's  arms,  to  the  last  time  I  saw  her,  looking 
so  pretty  and  blooming,  she  seems  to  me  one  of  the 
sweetest  and  noblest  of  women.  I  can  recall  so  many 
incidents  of  our  childhood,  so  characteristic  of  her 
truthfulness,  her  purity  of  mind,  her  generosity,  and 
her  ardent,  affectionate  nature." 

The  next  is  from  a  friend  of  her  girlhood:     "That 


JVLIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  55 

the  beautiful,  joyous,  radiant  young  life,  that  on  my 
wedding  day  threw  its  gladness  around  me  for  the  l?pt 
time,  has  gone  above,  to  shine  forth  more  beautiful  and 
radiant  than  ever,  I  cannot  realize.  I  shall  always 
think  of  her  in  the  fresh  bloom  of  girlhood,  her  eyes 
sparkling,  her  cheeks  aglow  with  health  and  happiness, 
surrounded  by  a  room  full  of  admiring  friends.  I  seem 
to  hear  the  quick,  bright  answer  with  which  she  met 
each  remark.  The  impression  she  made  in  Charleston 
then  makes  her  death  not  only  a  national  sorrow,  but  a 
personal  one  to  many.  Some  day,  we  know  not  how 
soon,  we,  too,  will  join 

"Earth's  pure-hearted  ones,  walking  in  white, 
Under  the  shade  of  the  trees.'' 

A  mother  who  had  a  similar  bereavement,  wrote: 
"What  strange  creatures  we  are!  As  a  maiden,  when 
she  received  so  many  public  demonstrations  of  interest 
and  admiration,  every  Southern  heart  thrilled  with  pride 
and  pleasure.  Now,  when  she  is  called  by  the  King  of 
Kings,  to  be  crowned  with  immortal  beauty  and  glory, 
and  to  meet  the  sainted  father,  whose  last  smile  rested 
upon  her  infantile  face,  our  heads  are  bowed  in  sorrow, 
and  we  question  the  goodness  of  God,  in  taking  one  so 
young,  and  so  essential  to  the  happiness  of  others." 

A  yoimg  ministerial  friend  said:  "Her  life  was  one 
which  developed  very  rapidly  the  Christian  graces,  and 
her  spiritual  womanhood  seemed  to  have  quickly  ma- 
tured, so  that  she  was  being  prepared  for  her  early 
exchange  of  earth's  trials  for  Heaven's  blessedness  and 


56  JULIA  JACK80N  CHRISTIAN 

glory.     I  have  often  thought  of  the  father's  glad  wel- 
come to  his  ^darling.'  " 

From  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  comes  the  next.  One 
lady  with  whom  she  lived  in  the  same  house,  said :  "I 
never  admired  and  loved  any  one  I  ever  met  in  my  life 
more  than  I  did  your  darling  daughter." 

Another  wrote:  "I  learned  to  love  her  sweet,  bright 
face,  and  winsome  manners,  when  she  lived  across  the 
way  from  us.  I  shall  always  be  glad  that  I  knew  her, 
even  for  a  little  while. '^ 

A  warm  Southerner  in  Minneapolis:  "Thousands, 
who  never  saw  her,  are  mourning  for  her  to-da}^,  for 
the  daughter  of  our  immortal  chieftain  is  enshrined 
in  the  heart  of  every  loyal  Southerner,  and  in  their 
sorrow  for  her,  they  mourn  afresh  the  loss  of  their 
beloved  General,  and  bury  again  that  precious  Lost 
Cause.  We,  who  were  privileged  to  know  her,  have  a 
deeper  sting  to  our  grief,  and  mourn  in  personal  bereave- 
ment. We  all  remember  her  with  so  much  pleasure — 
her  fair  face;  her  lovely  character.  She  was  one  of 
those  precious  ones  whom  we  take  into  our  hearts  and 
weave  into  our  lives.  Her  loss  is  great  and  far-reaching, 
for  though  Faith  clasps  the  promise,  and  Hope  points 
upward,  yet  our  hearts  are  heavy,  and  our  sunshine 
darkened." 

Our  California  friends  also  showed  their  sorrow  for 
lier,  one  saying:  ''I  can  recall  the  gentle,  kindly,  love- 
able  woman,  and  I  feel  sure  that  'oi  such  is  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven.'     'Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for 


JULIA  JACKSON  CHRISTIAN  57 

they    shall    see    God.'      Heroic    husband    and    beloved 
daughter  are  united.     I  belieye  that  you  can  see 

"The  stars  shine  through  your  cypress  trees.'' 

Another  wrote :  "In  expressing  my  heartfelt  sympa- 
th}',  I  only  give  voice  to  the  same  sorrow  that  reigns 
tliroughout  the  South — a  sorrow  that  is  as  deep  as  was 
the  love  for  General  Jackson." 

Our  pastor,  Eev.  Dr.  Miller,  wrote  from  London,  and 
after  expressing  his  profound  sorrow  and  sympathy, 
went  on  to  say:  "That  Sunday  afternoon  scene  in  your 
home,  when  she  stood  up  before  me  and  presented  her 
l)abe  for  baptism,  has  been  frequently  before  my  mind 
since,  and  contemplated  with  a  tender  pleasure.  Would 
that  I  could  have  had  the  sad  privilege  of  ministering 
to  her  through  the  closing  scene !  But  I  know  that  the 
Angel  of  the  Everlasting  Covenant  was  with  her,  com- 
forting her  with  sweet  assurances  of  His  presence  and 
His  love,  and,  folding  her  in  His  gentle  arms,  bore  her  to 
His  happy  home  above.  I  felt  a  deep  interest  in  her, 
not  only  for  her  dear  mother's  and  illustrious  father's 
sakes,  but  as  being  a  lamb  of  my  flock,  received  by  me 
into  the  full  communion  of  the  church,  a  precious  lamb, 
to  whom  was  given  the  Shepherd's  tender  love.  And  the 
dear  little  lambs  she  left !  Oh !  may  the  gracious  Heav- 
enly Father  watch  OA'er  them  ever  with  a  yearning  affec- 
tion, guard  them  unceasingly  from  every  snare,  and  lead 
them  into  the  green  pastures  and  beside  the  still  waters 
of  His  church  above,  is  the  prayer  of  their  loving 
pastor." 


VjuL 


liilil'lt 


